LBA-ECO LC-07: Monthly Flooded Wetlands in the Central Amazon Basin

1.77 million square kilometers of the Central Amazon Basin were analyzed to produce monthly mean inundation areas for four distinct wetland cover classes from 1979 to 1996. This time-series data quantifies the extent of open water, river channels, macrophytes, and flooded forests, including calculations for the mainstem and its eastern and western halves. The dataset provides a foundational record for understanding the seasonal and interannual flood pulse dynamics of this critical ecosystem.

Use Cases

• Modeling seasonal flood pulse impacts on Amazonian carbon cycling based on monthly flooded forest area.
• Calibrating satellite-based water extent algorithms using long-term open water and river channel measurements.
• Analyzing interannual variability in macrophyte coverage as an indicator of hydrological conditions.
• Assessing habitat availability for aquatic species using the spatial breakdown of wetland cover classes.

Strengths

• Covers a massive 1.77 million km² study area, providing a large-scale perspective.
• Offers a long temporal record with monthly data spanning 18 years (1979-1996).
• Differentiates between four ecologically distinct wetland habitat classes.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; column names and exact row counts are unknown.
• There is a significant conflict in reported last updated dates (1996 vs. 2026), casting doubt on data maintenance.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for reuse.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Likely derived from remote sensing analysis, given the large-scale, classified inundation areas.

Time Range

1979 to 1996

Freshness

1996-06-30 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Central Amazon Basin, including a full quadrant and subsets for the Amazon/Solimoes River mainstem and its eastern/western halves.