A map of high-altitude wetlands in the world’s major mountain regions

Abstract We present a first global high-resolution map (30 m x 30 m) of high-altitudinal wetlands in the world’s major mountain regions, i.e. the Andes, Rocky Mountains, Alps and High Mountain Asia. To map these wetlands, we employed a supervised classification approach using a random forest machine learning model and a selected set of predictors including vegetation, topographic, and surface moisture features. The predictors were derived from freely available radar and optical satellite imagery (Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2), SRTM elevation data, and the global ecoregion map RESOLVE. We identify a total area of >30,500 km2 of high-mountain wetlands. With this map we aim to enhance the understanding of wetland distribution in remote and often inaccessible mountain regions and enable a more reliable understanding of their role in the ecosystem functioning and water cycles of high mountain areas.