NASA model to help assess change in carbon concentrations from forests
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Science & Technology
- Published
6th Feb, 2021
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Context
- A group of researchers has created a new way to assess how the changes in forests over the past two decades impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.
About the model
- The new method helps to understand the role of various forest types in the global carbon cycle.
- The method tapped into numerous sources, including ground, airborne, and satellite data.
- Components: It uses
- Satellite and field data to improve estimates of vegetation and carbon stocks
- NASA’s ICESat-2
- Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a laser-equipped instrument aboard the International Space Station that records the three-dimensional structures of the world’s temperate and tropical forests
Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI)
- Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is a NASA mission to measure how deforestation has contributed to atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
- The GEDI instrument is a geodetic-class, light detection and ranging (Lidar) laser system consisting of three lasers.
- The GEDI instrumentation is designed to collect data, from approximately four percent of the earth's surface, including both tropical and temperate forests.
- GEDI was selected as a NASA Earth Ventures Instrument (EVI) mission in 2014.
ICESat-2
- ICESat-2, abbreviated for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite.
- It was launched in 2018.
- It uses lasers and a very precise detection instrument to measure the elevation of the Earth's surface.
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Significance of the model
- It will create the first consistent global framework for estimating the carbon flux specifically for forests.
- The new method will help arrive at better data sets.
- The new approach also helped identify the forest types that have higher uncertainties.
- The framework could help countries reduce carbon emissions for which accurate and current data is needed.
