Peatlands are important carbon sinks, therefore their degradation mainly due to lowering of the water table, has an adverse effect to the carbon cycle and largely burden the atmosphere. Annually, extensive areas of these peatlands are affected by wildfires, therefore large peatland areas have been degraded, directly or indirectly related to anthropogenic activities, largely contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the most pristine tropical peatlands worldwide occur primarily at the coastal lowlands of Southeast Asia. In terms of their geological features and evolution, these sites are generally understudied despite covering more than half of the global area of tropical peatlands. This review compiles geological data from 52 peatlands from insular and continental Southeast Asia, providing a comprehensive geological dataset for future research. The Southeast Asian peatlands are mostly ombrogenous and hence poorly supplied by nutrients. During the Last Glacial Period (ca. 115,000–11,000 years ago), extensive areas were exposed because of the lowering of the seawater level, which caused a consequent lowering of the groundwater table landwards; the forests were under severe threat, mainly due to dry conditions, thus resulting in the retreat of the forest boundaries inland. This was an unfavourable environment for peatland formation and hence, most of the Southeast Asian peatlands were formed right after that period. Almost 40% of the reviewed sites are located on Borneo Island, highlighting the importance of Bornean peatlands, where many peatlands are already deforested and drained and converted to plantations. Overall, the available geological data from the Southeast Asian peatlands is incomplete and non-comparable to each other because each study has a different focus. Details, such as the type of peat-forming plants, age of peat, peat thickness, substrate type and the pH value are not reported systematically in approximately 30% of the reviewed sites, while other important geological data, such as the ash yield and the carbon content of peat are only reported in 30% and 10% of the reviewed sites, respectively. Characterisation of peatlands using data imputation and principal component analysis (PCA) is based on three physical parameters (maximum ash yield, maximum thickness and oldest age), and includes the study of their relation in terms of climatic periods, peatland type, region and substrate. It is observed that peatlands which were developed in warming periods share similar physical parameters (such as accumulation rates, ash yield, peatland type, and environment of the substrates). With better data reporting on these parameters, the PCA analysis can provide a more accurate reflection of peatland characteristics and their relationships. The study aims to raise awareness on the importance and vulnerability of the Southeast Asian peatlands and to highlight their role in the global climate fluctuations.

泥炭地是重要的碳汇，因此它们的退化主要是由于地下水位降低，对碳循环产生不利影响，并对大气造成很大负担。每年，这些泥炭地的大片地区都会受到野火的影响，因此大面积的泥炭地已经退化，这与人为活动直接或间接相关，主要是造成温室气体排放。世界上一些最原始的热带泥炭地主要分布在东南亚的沿海低地。就其地质特征和演化而言，尽管这些地点覆盖了全球一半以上的热带泥炭地，但它们的研究普遍不足。这篇综述汇编了来自东南亚岛屿和大陆的 52 个泥炭地的地质数据，为未来的研究提供全面的地质数据集。东南亚泥炭地大多是混杂的，因此营养物质供应不足。在末次冰期（约115,000-11,000 年前），由于海水水位降低，大面积暴露，导致地下水位向陆下降；森林受到严重威胁，主要是由于干旱条件，导致内陆森林边界后退。这是泥炭地形成的不利环境，因此，东南亚大部分泥炭地都是在那个时期之后形成的。近 40% 的审查地点位于婆罗洲岛，突出了婆罗洲泥炭地的重要性，许多泥炭地已经被砍伐森林并排干并转变为种植园。总体而言，来自东南亚泥炭地的可用地质数据不完整且彼此不可比较，因为每项研究都有不同的重点。细节，大约 30% 的审查地点没有系统报告泥炭形成植物的类型、泥炭年龄、泥炭厚度、基质类型和 pH 值，而其他重要的地质数据，如灰分产量和碳泥炭含量仅分别在 30% 和 10% 的审查地点报告。使用数据插补和主成分分析 (PCA) 对泥炭地进行表征基于三个物理参数（最大灰分产量、最大厚度和最老年龄），包括研究它们在气候时期、泥炭地类型、区域和基质方面的关系. 据观察，在变暖时期发育的泥炭地具有相似的物理参数（如积累率、灰分产量、泥炭地类型和基质环境）。通过更好地报告这些参数的数据，PCA 分析可以更准确地反映泥炭地特征及其关系。该研究旨在提高人们对东南亚泥炭地重要性和脆弱性的认识，并强调它们在全球气候波动中的作用。