The European Space Agency BIOMASS mission is scheduled to launch in 2023 to enable a space-based survey of Earth’s forests, allowing scientists to monitor forest biomass and quantify the impact of deforestation on climate change.
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Why is it important to monitor Earth’s forest biomass?
The COP26 pledge on degradation and deforestation by more than 100 leaders representing approximately 85 percent of the world’s forests is a positive step towards restoring the balance between carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and being absorbed by forests.
Forests have a significant impact on climate due to their impact on carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary greenhouse gas. Forests reduce atmospheric CO2 by absorbing carbon through photosynthesis and storing it in plant biomass.
However, most of the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere due to forest degradation and deforestation, particularly in tropical areas, accelerating climate change. Recent research shows that the Amazon rainforest releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it stores.
Despite the new promise, there is a need to monitor the global cycle to gain insight into the impact of forest conversion on our climate.
The BIOMASS Mission: How will it work?
BIOMASS, ESA’s space satellite, will apply a new measurement approach to provide new data on forest height and biomass from space.
It will be the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band radar. Unlike previous missions, the new 70 cm wavelength radar will allow the BIOMASS mission to penetrate the forest layer and map the hidden roots and branches.
Once in space, the satellite will survey the earth, penetrate tree canopies and create a 3D map of the world’s forests. The mission’s data will be made public to allow everyone to make consistent, unbiased assessments of the Earth’s total biomass.
BIOMASS MISSION
Video credit: Space4Climate/Youtube.com
Importance of the BIOMASS Forest Mission
Despite the importance of tropical forests for the climate, data on their biomass are lacking due to their size, diversity, remoteness and inaccessibility. They also have greater biomass densities than most of the well-studied forests of North America, Eurasia, and Europe.
BIOMASS was designed to study these tall tropical forests from space using a powerful reflector antenna radar. This radar maintains a delicate balance between sensitivity to biomass and technological feasibility in the ionosphere.
Mission scientists stressed the importance of BIOMASS in raising awareness of the consequences of global warming. The length of the mission will also allow climate experts to better monitor the progress of climate change and prepare for its impacts.
Professor Shaun Quegan, the Mission’s Chief Scientist, explained the importance of BIOMASS:
This mission will give us unprecedented insight into the structure of forests around the world and how changes in forests, both losses from deforestation and gains from regrowth and reforestation, affect the amount of carbon dioxide entering our atmosphere. The study will essentially weigh forests – they will tell us their weight and height, and we can see how they change over time.
Data from the BIOMASS mission will reduce important uncertainties in current estimates of terrestrial carbon fluxes and stocks, particularly carbon fluxes associated with forest degradation, land-use change and forest regeneration. It will also provide 3D forest mapping using radar tomography.
Secondary benefits of the BIOMASS project
The space screen will not only provide unmatched and accurate insights into forest biomass, but will also examine topography to determine where water used to flow beneath the surface of the earth and potentially uncover sites of archaeological importance.
This mission will also provide data on the movement of the ice sheets, the Earth’s upper atmosphere and the underlying geology in arid locations.
Historical background of the BIOMASS mission
Although BIOMASS will be the first satellite to put a P-band radar into orbit, the technology was first tested over woodland in eastern England in the late 1980s. At the time, however, it seemed unlikely that such a system would ever reach space, as the specific radar frequencies were reserved for military use.
ESA encouraged the International Telecommunication Union to provide a small window into this sensitive region of the electromagnetic spectrum for scientific research.
Conclusion and future perspectives of the biomass mission
Although it is a space mission, the success of the project depends on scientists being actively involved in ground-based biomass studies. When the project launches, their data will be critical to ensure the integrity of the satellite data.
The satellite’s powerful reflector antenna has already been manufactured and the mission is in its final stages of development with a target launch in 2023.
The BIOMASS mission will soon play a crucial role in providing unique data on the state of our forests and their dynamic change over time, improving our understanding of the carbon cycle and climate change.
References and further reading
Amos, J. (2022) Biomass: Huge “space umbrella” to weigh the forests of the earth. [Online]. BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62650129 (Accessed 15 September 2022).
ESA. (2022) Biomass: ESA’s forest mission. [Online]. Available at: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Biomass (Accessed 15 September 2022).
ESA. (2022) Biomass: Weighing the Earth’s forest from space. [Online]. Available at: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2021/11/Biomass_weighing_Earth_s_forest_from_space (Accessed 15 September 2022).
Gatti LV, Basso LS, Miller JB et al. (2021) Amazonia as a carbon source linked to deforestation and climate change. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03629-6
Grantham Scholars & Quegan. S (2016) The BIOMASS space mission to “weigh” the world’s forests is nearing launch. [Online]. Grantham Center at the University of Sheffield. Available at: https://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/space-mission-to-weigh-earths-forests-moves-closer-to-launch/ (Accessed 16 September 2022).
Quegan. S (2022) How do you weigh a forest from space? [Online]. The University of Sheffield. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/research/biomass-mission (Accessed 14 September 2022).
United Nations. (2021) Glasgow Heads of State and Government Statement on Forests and Land Use. [Online].United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021. Available at: https://ukcop26.org/glasgow-leaders-declaration-on-forests-and-land-use/ (Accessed 15 September 2022).
Valero, B. (2022) British built satellite to ‘weigh’ the world’s forests. [Online]. engineering and technology. Available at: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2022/08/uk-built-satellite-to-weigh-earths-forests/ (Accessed 15 September 2022).
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