Wetland Extent and Flooding Map for the Lowland Amazon Basin

Lowland Amazon Basin wetland extent, vegetation type, and dual-season flooding state are mapped using satellite radar mosaics from 1995-1996. The dataset provides the first validated basin-wide estimate, classifying wetland areas into five land cover and two flooding classes. It is delivered in GeoTIFF format with two coordinate systems and a 100m pixel resolution.

Use Cases

• Modeling methane emissions based on wetland extent and seasonal flooding patterns.
• Assessing habitat distribution for wetland-dependent species using vegetation classification.
• Calibrating hydrological models with dual-season flood inundation extents.
• Monitoring land cover change in the Amazon basin using a validated historical baseline.

Strengths

• Provides a validated wetland extent estimate of 840,000 sq km, covering the entire lowland Amazon basin.
• Derived from dual-season satellite radar data, capturing distinct high and low-flood conditions.
• Offers a fine spatial resolution of 100 meters in its Albers Conical Equal Area projection.

Limitations

• Data acquisition date (1995-1996) is historical and may not represent current conditions.
• Flooding extent is less reliable for latitudes south of 6 degrees S.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata between platforms (1996 vs. 2026) creates uncertainty about versioning.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), derived from Global Rain Forest Mapping Project (GRFM) Amazon mosaics.

Collection Method

Segmentation and clustering of dual-season radar backscatter mosaics, followed by rule-based classification.

Time Range

Oct-Nov 1995 and May-June 1996

Freshness

1996-06-30 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Entire lowland Amazon basin