The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its 'Biomass' satellite into orbit to map the carbon content of tropical forests in some of the world's most remote areas. The Biomass Project Manager at ESA says it's "absolutely timely" to do the mission now, as climate change threatens mankind.

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the 'Biomass' satellite to gather critical data on tropical forests. The satellite will map the carbon content in forests across Africa, Asia, and South America, providing valuable insights into the effects of deforestation and climate change on these vital ecosystems often referred to as the Earth's "green lungs."

The Biomass satellite is equipped with a radar scanner and employs interferometry technology. This advanced technology allows the satellite to measure carbon levels accurately, even through dense forest canopies. The mission will track changes in carbon content over the next five years, offering data essential for understanding the extent to which these forests capture and store carbon dioxide.

Michael Fährringer, Biomass Project Manager at ESA, highlighted the mission's importance at a time when climate change poses significant threats. The satellite's data will help estimate the volume and weight of the wood in these forests, which annually draw in approximately 9 billion U.S. tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, ongoing deforestation processes indicate the release of this stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Fährringer stresses that this data is crucial for understanding these changes and could guide policymakers in addressing climate change. 



Space probe to assess health of forests from Earth's orbit

A space probe successfully launched into orbit on Tuesday to help scientists uncover the health of our world's densest rainforests. Attached to the European Space Agency's biomass space probe is a new radar scanner that will map the carbon content of tropical forests, showing how deforestation and climate change are impacting what some refer to as the Earth's green lungs. The forests are under threat. We need this data. The probe will orbit the Earth for the next five years, using interferometry technology to collect data on rainforests across Africa, Asia and South America. Biomass project manager at the European Space Agency, Michael Fährringer, explains. What we want to measure is how much of the fossil fuel that is burned and produces CO2, how much of that goes into the forests and stays there and is captured. And we do several maps over the years in order to see the changes. That is the main goal. The probe's instruments are designed to measure carbon levels accurately, even through dense forest canopies. You need to get the volume, basically, of the trees. And what we do, we have a radar instrument that can penetrate to the ground. We use a technology that is called interferometry, where we can also detect the height of the trees. And all that together helps us to estimate the volume and the weight, basically, of the wood in the forests. Forests draw in around 9 billion U.S. tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually. But ongoing deforestation and degradation, especially in tropical regions, means this stored carbon is being released back into the atmosphere. Behringer says the data Biomass collects is crucial to understanding the full impact of these changes on our forests. Basically, daily in the news, the threat of climate change to human mankind. So that all provides, will provide data to combat, to provide information for politicians to take decisions. So it's absolutely timely to do it now.

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Russia hits Kyiv with largest drone attack after Trump-Putin call

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Washington

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Jerusalem

More than 80 people killed in Gaza in one day

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Ukraine will do 'anything' to advance EU accession talks: Zelenskyy

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Global Tariffs

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Gilimanuk

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Manhattan

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Madrid

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Tehran

Iran Strikes

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Lhasa

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New York

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Boise

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Madison

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Everglades

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Bangkok

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