THE CEOS DATABASE : Missions, Instruments and Measurements
 
Home
Database
Agencies
EO Handbook
Missions
Activity
Table
Index
Instruments
Table
Index
Measurements
Overview
Timelines
Datasets
Activity
GLOBAL CLIMATE OBSERVING SYSTEM
ESSENTIAL CLIMATE VARIABLE - Above-ground biomass
DomainTerrestrialDescriptionVegetation biomass is a crucial ecological variable for understanding the evolution and potential future changes of the climate system. Photosynthesis withdraws carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores carbon in vegetation in an amount comparable to that of atmospheric carbon. [GCOS-195 6.3.13]
Sub-domain-
Full NameAbove-ground biomass
Satellite Signficant ContributionYes
GCOS Actions
Action
Status*		DescriptionWhoTime FramePerformance IndicatorCost Implications
T32
Cat-B		Develop demonstration datasets of above ground biomass across all biomes.Parties, space agencies, national institutes, research organizations, FAO in association with GTOS, TOPC,2012Availability of global gridded estimates of above ground biomass and associated carbon content.1-10M US$ (20% in non-Annex-I Parties).
*GCOS-195 Status Categories: Category A: Action completed, perhaps exceeding reasonable expectations. Very good progress on ongoing tasks. Category B: Action largely completed according to expectation. Good progress on ongoing tasks. Category C: Moderate progress overall, although progress may be good for some part of the action. Category D: Limited progress overall, although progress may be moderate or good for some part of the action. Category E: Very little or no progress, or deterioration rather than progress.
GCOS Products
ProductNameVariable/
Parameter		Related Measurements/
Instruments
from CEOS DB
T.9Regional and global above-ground forest biomassGridded above- ground biomass (dry weight of woody matter (t/ha))
Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI)
CEOS Response[T32]

2015 Update: CEOS has established an ad hoc Space Data Coordination Group (SDCG) for the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) to support developing countries in setting up national forest monitoring systems. This supports reporting in the REDD+ context and includes the production of above ground biomass data sets. Details can be found at http://gfoi.org/.
Copyright CEOS | About | Site Search | Report an Issue Researched and written by Symbios