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How do vowel systems in Sepik-Ramu languages differ from those in many other Papuan languages?

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Map of the languages found on the Doberai Peninsula of New Guinea.
Papuan languages Map of the languages found on the Doberai Peninsula of New Guinea.

While many Papuan languages typically utilize a standard system of five phonemic vowels (/i/, /e/, /a/, /o/, /u/), the languages of the Sepik-Ramu basin area are notable for their unusual vowel systems. Specifically, these languages are distinguished by a very high preponderance of central vowels, which sets them apart from the more common patterns found elsewhere among Papuan languages.1