The map, showing above-ground biomass in the Brazilian Amazon, was created based on research by scientists at the Brazilian Institute for Space Research and collaborators, as well as a combination of aerial laser scanning, satellite imagery and forest inventories. The results will support planning and conservation.
The release of a new map showing the total aerial biomass of the Brazilian Amazon is good news amid a serious crisis affecting the world's largest tropical forest. The map reflects the world's largest ever study of tropical forest biomass.
The results of the research are presented in an article published in the journal Springer Nature, Scientific Data. The research was supported by FAPESP and the Amazon Fund.
“We estimated the total biomass of the Amazon rainforest based on studies that mapped 3,600 square kilometers in transects (cross-sections through the area along which standardized measurements were taken), distributed across all vegetation categories in the region. The results showed an average of 174 tons of biomass per hectare and a maximum of 518 tons per hectare“said Jean Ometto, first author of the article.
Ometto is a principal investigator at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) of Brazil and a member of the steering committee of FAPESP's Global Climate Change Research Program (RPGC).
The main study conducted aerial laser scanning in two consecutive campaigns (2016–17 and 2017–18), collecting data from 901 study transects across all forest areas. Each of them has an area of ​​at least 375 hectares, is 12.5 km long and 300 m wide.
The main reconnaissance tool was a Cessna aircraft's light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, flying at low altitude and emitting an average of eight laser pulses per square meter. Aboveground biomass was estimated based on tree diameter and wood density in kg.
“The numbers obtained from these 901 pieces were combined with data from an instrument called PALSAR (L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar) on ALOS (Advanced Earth Observation Satellite). MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) satellite sensor vegetation index; and rainfall data from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission). The results are extrapolated to the entire region.
“The numbers obtained in these 901 transects were integrated with data from an instrument called PALSAR (Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) on the ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite); Vegetation indices obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite sensor; and rainfall data from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission). The results were extrapolated to the entire region. Through the mathematical calculation, we were able to estimate with satisfactory accuracy the biomass content of the existing forest, which is approximately 75 billion tons.Ometto explained.
Planning, conservation and sustainable management through aerial biomass
At a time when dire warnings are being raised that the Amazon may be reaching a tipping point where it moves from a carbon sink to a net source of emissions and risks depleting biomass beyond the forest structure, the map provides the key information needed To make decisions that support planning, conservation and sustainable management.
Additionally, the research led to some very interesting discoveries, including pre-Columbian geoglyphs that show that the Amazon was once relatively densely populated. They also confirmed that the tallest tree in the forest is the majestic Dinizia excelsa (angelim vermelho) in Portuguese), whose crown rises 88.5 meters above the forest floor.
About the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public organization whose mission is to support scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships and grants to researchers affiliated with research and higher education institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil .
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