Oil palm plantation land use is associated with elevated stream temperature and suspended sediment loads in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Kimberly Carlson, University Minnesota, carlsonk@umn.edu
Lisa Curran, Stanford University, lmcurran@stanford.edu (Presenter)
Alexandra G Ponette-Gonzalez, University of North Texas, alexandra.ponette@unt.edu
Dessy Ratnasari, Living Landscapes Indonesia, dessy.rasel@gmail.com
Pita Ruspita, Living Landscapes Indonesia, pita.anzonk@gmail.com
Neli Lisnawati, Living Landscapes Indonesia, lisnawati.neli@gmail.com
Yadi Purwanto, Living Landscapes Indonesia, yadi.purwanto@gmail.com
Kate A Brauman, University of Minnesota, kbrauman@umn.edu
Peter Raymond, Yale University, peter.raymond@yale.edu

Oil palm plantations are developing rapidly throughout the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia. Plantation expansion into forested areas may alter physical and biogeochemical inputs to streams, thereby changing hydrological function. In West Kalimantan, Indonesia, we assessed streams draining watersheds characterized by four land uses: logged forest, mixed agroforest, and young (<3 yr) and mature (>10 yr) oil palm plantation. In four intensively sampled focal streams, we quantified suspended sediments and stream temperature using high-frequency submersible sonde measurements during month-long intervals between 2009 and 2012. Temperature and sediment data were also collected across eight additional catchments with variable elevation, slope, area, and climatic conditions during four one-week periods in 2008 and 2009. Regional land use change was quantified by applying image segmentation and nearest-neighbor classification to Carnegie Landsat Analysis System-Lite (CLASlite) fractional cover data derived from a timeseries of Landsat imagery. We found that temperature in focal oil palm streams was significantly greater (~1°C to >3°C) than in agroforest and logged forest streams. Because stream shading moderates radiative inputs to streams, we predict that shading is correlated with stream temperature. Focal streams were field mapped and canopy cover was visually estimated at the stream center every ~500 m. Young and mature oil palm streams had the lowest canopy cover (12% and 45%, respectively) compared with 81% cover in the logged forest stream. Focal logged forest and agroforest streams had significantly lower total suspended solid (TSS, mg L^-1) concentration than the young oil palm stream. Across 12 regional streams, young and mature oil palm land uses generated 2- to 6-fold greater mean TSS concentration than logged forests and agroforest. Watersheds with similar area, slope, and elevation to those studied here occupy approximately 23% of Kalimantan’s land area. Thus, our findings inform potential hydrologic outcomes of continued expansion of oil palm plantations in Kalimantan.

Presentation: 2015_Poster_Carlson_77_118.pdf (2330k)

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 2: Landscapes to coasts: understanding Earth system connections   (Mon 1:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Curran, Lisa: Socio-economic and political drivers of oil palm expansion in Indonesia: Effects on rural livelihoods, carbon emissions and REDD ...details

Poster Location ID: 77