ESA will launch Biomass, the first satellite that "sees" inside forests to measure their carbon footprint and protect the climate.
Science Editorial, April 24 (EFE).- Forests will be the target of the European Space Agency's (ESA) new mission with the launch next week of Biomass, which will provide data on their status and evolution, to improve knowledge about their role in the carbon cycle.
A mission that will observe forest biomass above the ground—that is, the trunks, branches, and woody stems where trees store most of their carbon—which will be possible because it is the first satellite to incorporate a P-band radar capable of penetrating deep into forests.
The Biomass satellite is the seventh mission in ESA's Earth Explorers program , and its scientific objectives "focus on carbon, carbon fluxes, and everything related to biomass," Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs, explained in a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Forests cover approximately one-third of the Earth, mostly in the tropics, and are estimated to absorb some 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere each year, converting it into carbon that is stored in biomass.
Biomass, key to measuring forest carbon storageMeasuring biomass can be used as an indicator of the carbon stored in forests, the quantification of which is the main objective of the Biomass mission.
Assessing forest carbon storage and change is key to understanding the Earth's carbon cycle, which plays a fundamental role in our climate.
Cheli emphasized that forests are home to 80% of biodiversity and noted that approximately 100 kilometers of tropical forest are lost every day.
International cooperation"With these parameters, we immediately understand the importance of monitoring them, but also of better understanding the role they play in the carbon cycle," he added.
Twenty European countries, Canada, and the United States collaborated on the mission for nine years. The main contractor, Airbus UK, led a consortium of more than 80 companies, which the ESA official described as "excellent teamwork."
The data Biomass collects from space, at an altitude of 666 kilometers, will also be validated on the ground, for which there are agreements with countries like Brazil, he indicated.
In addition, data sets will be exchanged with other agencies around the world in the context of collaboration against climate change.
Regarding cooperation, Cheli was asked if she was concerned about the changes in the United States, to which she noted that "there is a lot of uncertainty" and they still don't have "a clear indication in terms of the new NASA administrator's instructions," although there are "indications from the government to disengage from the climate convention."
The collaboration between ESA and the US continues, and "we can't prejudge what will happen in terms of data flow or willingness to share data sets," so "we are evaluating it very closely," Cheli said, adding that they "interact weekly with NASA partners to closely monitor developments and potential implications."
Innovative satelliteThe greatest innovation of Biomass, he emphasized, is that it is the first satellite equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar, allowing it to penetrate through tree canopy to the ground, measuring their height and biomass uniformly.
These data provide crucial information about forest structure, allowing scientists to estimate biomass, height, and ultimately, carbon content.
Biomass will launch on the 29th from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 6:15 a.m. local time (09:15 GMT) aboard a Vega-C, said ESA's Director of Space Transport, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, who assured that all hands are on deck to ensure the mission's success.
The Vega-C is a "very important launcher for Europe" that has made a "brilliant return" to activity, which resumed last December after a two-year hiatus due to the failure of its first commercial mission. EFE
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