A New Satellite Set to Launch This Month Will Map Rainforest Carbon Content from Space

Photo credit: www.smithsonianmag.com

The European Space Agency’s new probe, Biomass, will spend five years orbiting the planet and gathering radar imagery of forests across multiple continents

Sara Hashemi – Daily Correspondent

On April 29, the European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch its ambitious satellite mission, Biomass, which aims to assess the carbon content of the world’s rainforests over the next five years. This initiative comes after more than a decade of meticulous planning and development.

Biomass, which has recently been dispatched to French Guiana, is prepared for lift-off aboard the Vega-C rocket, a vehicle weighing 230 tons. This state-of-the-art spacecraft will circle the globe, using a pioneering radar technology to gather data on the above-ground biomass of forests across Africa, Asia, and South America. By focusing on large branches and tree trunks, Biomass will derive insights into carbon storage captured in these crucial ecosystems.

Shaun Quegan, the head of the Biomass science team, noted that the mission’s primary function is to quantify the biomass of forests. “We are essentially weighing these forests,” he explained, emphasizing that carbon constitutes about half of their biomass. This means the mission will enable scientists to monitor the fluctuations in carbon levels over time and ascertain how these forests contribute to atmospheric carbon balance.

Forests are significant carbon sinks, absorbing approximately 25% of human-generated carbon emissions each year. However, their capacity to store carbon is diminishing due to challenges such as deforestation and environmental degradation. Research indicates that rainforests may sequester up to one-third less carbon now than they did in the 1990s.

The insights gleaned from Biomass will enable researchers to document how carbon levels vary, deepen understanding of the carbon cycle, and pinpoint areas at risk of deforestation. Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s director of Earth observation programs, stated that it is essential to ascertain the health of tropical forests. “We need to know what kind of vegetation is present and how much carbon is stored. Our goal is to create detailed 3D images of these ecosystems,” she added.

Despite the dense foliage that prevents sunlight from reaching the forest floor, Biomass will utilize a P-band synthetic aperture radar. This innovative system allows for imaging all the way down to the forest ground, making it possible to examine areas that are typically obscured.

Cheli emphasizes that this mission not only enhances our comprehension of global forests and the intricate carbon cycles but also showcases how space-based technology can address critical environmental issues. “Biomass breaks new ground in remote sensing,” she noted.

The capabilities of Biomass extend beyond forest observation; the radar technology could also be applied to the study of ice sheets and areas with dense vegetation around the world. Furthermore, it may offer insights into underground conditions in arid regions.

Integrating data from Biomass with artificial intelligence could lead to the development of advanced climate models, helping predict future environmental scenarios and guiding effective forest management and climate policies, as Quegan pointed out. “Understanding what we’re likely to face in the future is vital,” he remarked.

As the launch approaches, engineers have completed the final steps in preparing the satellite for its mission. With the fueling finished and the craft ready, Cheli expressed appreciation to the various industrial partnerships that contributed to the project. She emphasized that once in orbit, Biomass will provide invaluable data to progress our understanding of Earth’s carbon dynamics.

Source
www.smithsonianmag.com