1. The ESA BIOMASS and “4th”missions: relation to GFOI
S. Quegan, University of Sheffield & NCEO

2. Scope of talk
What is the role of BIOMASS in Global Forest Observing System?
How does it fit relative to other missions?
What can BIOMASS do for GFOI?
What can do GFOI for BIOMASS?

3. Biomass is the 7th ESA Earth Explorer mission
Core Missions
Opportunity Missions
2021
BIOMASS
Forest Biomass 3

4. Measuring height needs repeat visits and polarisation
07/22/12
Measuring height needs repeat visits and polarisation
Orbit cycle n
Orbit cycle n+1
Calibration, Ionospheric correction
Polarimetry HH HV VV
Phasedifferences
Polarimetry +
Interferometry
Retrieval algorithm
The need to map biomass drives us immediately towards radar.
Optical sensors see biochemistry, radar sensitive to structure.
What sort of radar?
Polarimetry (figs on R)
Repeat pass for interferometry
Both critical as we can see
Forest biomass
Forest height
Forest disturbance 4

5. Key system constraints
BIOMASS is only allotted a 6 MHz bandwidth by the ITU
a ground-range resolution of ~55m in range.
Accurate estimates of backscatter rely on speckle reduction
usable resolution is significantly reduced.
Global coverage of forested areas subject to Space Object Tracking Radar restrictions.
1 global map in first 14 months, then new maps every 7 months within 5 year mission lifetime.
Forest AGB
Forest height
Deforestation
Resolution
200 m m
Accuracy
20% or 10 t/ha for AGB < 50 t/ha %
Classification accuracy of 90%

6. Large biomass uncertainty
Space Object Tracking Radar constraints limit the possible in situ training sites
Land use
change
Land use change
reforestation
fire & climate warming
drought
pests
regrowth
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Degradation (REDD)
Global Forest Observations Initiative
Tropics and Asia have limited inventory systems, incomplete data, high biomass and ongoing LUC.
Climate change, including warming and drought may have impacts in tropical and boreal zones. Reforestation is occurring in China at high rates.
Global Forest Observations Initiative and REDD areas are located in the tropics
Be prepared to mention SOTR
Large biomass uncertainty

7. BIOMASS will not be alone in space
Forest structure & lower level biomass
Forest biomass & height
BIOMASS
ESA’s 7th Earth Explorer
The “4th mission”; in situ networks
Forest structure
& biomass

8. Training and validation: the “4th mission”
In situ network led by Smithsonian, including Centre for Tropical Forest Science
Rainfor
Afritron

9. Training and validation sites in the tropics
The good news: Ecological analysis suggests only ~50 supersites are needed to cover the range of tropical forest types.
The bad news: Establishing all these sites would cost ~$20M.
But it seems likely that 50 ecological forest types map into < 50 different P-band radar signatures.

10. Biomass in GFOI
GFOI is very much based on IPCC principles; practical methods that can be implemented at country level and “as far as possible” yield unbiased estimates of forest change and the associated emissions
In the GFOI MGD Earth Observation forms a core element in estimating forest area change.
This needs to be converted into emissions and uptake using emissions factors at different levels of complexity
The parameters needed to make this conversion are essentially based on in situ data.
Change in biomass is a fundamental quantity in quantifying emissions and uptake.

11. The potential benefit of BIOMASS to GFOI
Can BIOMASS (and other forest missions) supplant or supplement in situ methods?
How do we develop a strategy to use BIOMASS (and other forest mission) data within the county-based carbon flux estimates accepted by IPCC?

12. The potential benefit of GFOI to BIOMASS
Countries involved in GFOI are developing forest inventories, often supplemented by extensive lidar surveys.
These could be extremely helpful in helping to train and validate biomass estimates from space if they meet suitable quality standards.
How do we develop a dialogue with GFOI and its participating countries to promote this?
Overall key issues for the UK:
How do we fit space EO missions, especially BIOMASS, in the developing framework of GFOI and its research programme?
How do ensure that the almost unrivalled UK expertise in tropical forest networks is effectively exploited by GFOI?

13. Overall key issues for the UK
How do we fit space EO missions, especially BIOMASS, in the developing framework of GFOI and its research programme?
How do ensure that the almost unrivalled UK expertise in tropical forest networks is effectively exploited by GFOI?