Space Mission to measure biomass given go-aheadFriday 24 May 2013
The mission, called BIOMASS, is scheduled to launch in 2020 and will produce the first accurate maps of tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomass from space. These maps will help scientists address fundamental questions about changes in biodiversity, especially in tropical regions, where ground data is scant. They'll also help put a figure on the carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and land-use change. Currently, estimates of biomass used in climate models come from ground-based measurements. But because these measurements are scarce, the models give radically different projections of future climate. The BIOMASS mission will help overcome this problem, by providing a database of accurate, calibrated biomass measurements, bringing current climate models into line with each other. It will do this by using a 70-centimetre-wavelength radar sensor to probe both the height of trees, and the size of their trunks and canopies, in minute detail. More >> | ||
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