biomass

TO OBSERVE FOREST BIOMASS

FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CARBON CYCLE

The global carbon cycle

BIOMASS objectives and purpose

Objective of BIOMASS mission: to make accurate, frequent and global measurements of the distribution of forest biomass and its changes scales comparable with forest changes, and hence unprecedented information on status and dynamics of the Earth’s forests.

Crucial for:• Quantifying land use change (emissions & uptake)• Scientific support for international treaties• Landscape scale carbon dynamics and prediction• Initialising and testing the land element of ESMs• Forest ecosystem services & biodiversity

Estimates of total biomass vary from 39 to 93 GtC

How well is biomass known?

Land cover map

ModelBrown

Potter

Model + SatelliteInterpolation44

Olson

Defries

Brown and Lugo

Fearnside

Interpolation

Carbon (tC/ha)<= 100

101-150151-171

176-200

201-225226+

Tropical forest aboveground biomass maps

Two recent maps of Amazonian biomass – radically different

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

0 40 80 120 160

Above-ground biomass (tons/ha)

Sig

ma

° (d

B)

L - HV

P - HV

HF - VHF

Relation radar backscatter signal-above ground biomass at L, P, VHF bands

Landes forest, France

L-band SAR: RAMSESP-band SAR: AirSARVHF SAR: Carabas

The sensitivity of P-band radar to biomass

Calibration, Ionospheric correctionCalibration, Ionospheric correction

Retrieval algorithmRetrieval algorithm

Geophysical productsGeophysical products

Forest biomass Forest height Forest biomass change Forest disturbance

Forest biomass Forest height Forest biomass change Forest disturbance

Polarimetric radar intensity

Polarimetric InterferometricPhase

Orbit cycle n

Orbit cycle n+1

Observation concept – P-band satellite radar

HH HV VV Phase

Mawas, Indonesia

P-band forest height retrieval – tropical forest

50

40

30

20

10

0m

Tomography

Est

imat

edbi

omas

s(t

on/h

a)

In situ biomass (ton/ha)

Est

imat

edbi

omas

s(t

on/h

a)

In situ biomass (ton/ha)

Est

imat

edbi

omas

s(t

on/h

a)

In situ biomass (ton/ha)

RMSE = 47.2 t/haEst

ima

ted

bio

mas

s (t

/ha)

In situ biomass (t/ha)

Les Landes

Remningstorp

Biom

ass (t/ha)

50

250

200

150

100

50

250

200

150

100

In-situ stand biomass (ton/ha)

Re

trie

ve

dbio

mass(ton/h

a)

In-situ stand biomass (ton/ha)

Re

trie

ve

dbio

mass(ton/h

a)

RMSE = 9.46 t/ha

Est

ima

ted

bio

mas

s (t

/ha)

In situ biomass (t/ha)

Forest biomass retrieval at P-band

0 150

150

0 `300

`300

Intensity retrieval

Intensity + height

Polarised intensities only

40

30

20

10

0m

Height (m)

Heightretrieval

50

250

200

150

100

50

250

200

150

100

Biomass (t/ha)

RMSE= 16.3 t/ha

RMSE= 35.6 t/ha

Improving biomass retrieval using polarisation & height

Current status

1. Report for Selection submitted, exception for performance chapter

2. Ministerial conference towards the end of 2012

3. If (2) goes well, Consultation Meeting early 2013, selection within a couple of weeks

4. If (2) goes badly ....