Modeling Wetland Functions: Is Space-to-Time Substitution of the Perimeter-Area Relationship Appropriate?

Wetlands' morphometric or shape properties, such as their area and perimeter, impact a multitude of ecosystem functions and services. However, current models used to quantify these functions often only use area as an independent variable, as the static area and perimeter of different wetlands have been found to be closely related. The study uses monthly inundation maps, derived from remote sensing data, to assess the temporal covariation of geographically isolated wetlands' perimeter and surface area. The results show that using static representations of wetlands to evaluate temporal dynamic perimeter-area relationships can introduce significant discrepancies and that these discrepancies can be reduced if evaluations using static data are performed separately for each wetlandscape. This study concludes that models that use implicit area-perimeter relationships based on static wetland representations, as is usually the case, should be applied with caution. Additionally, it suggests that incorporating perimeter-area relationships from temporally dynamic data can improve estimates of wetland functions.