‘Space Brolly’ satellite to map Earth’s forests in 3D to help combat climate change
In a significant step towards understanding and combating climate change, the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its groundbreaking Biomass satellite from Kourou, French Guiana.
This first-of-its-kind mission will employ a revolutionary long-wavelength P-band radar to effectively “weigh” the carbon stored in the world’s estimated 1.5 trillion trees, peering beneath the dense canopies of rainforests in places such as the Amazon, the Congo and Indonesia.
The 1.2-tonne satellite, affectionately dubbed “space brolly” due to its massive 12-metre diameter deployable antenna, marks a paradigm shift in forest observation. Unlike conventional satellite radar systems that only capture the uppermost layers of foliage, Biomass’s long-wavelength radar can penetrate deep into forests, revealing the structure of branches and trunks.
Dr Ralph Cordey, head of geosciences at Airbus, explained this advantage, stating, “Most radars that we have in space today take wonderful images of icebergs, but when they look at forests they see the tops of the forest… they don’t penetrate down into the forests. But what we found was that by using a much longer radar wavelength, we could see down into the depths of trees and forests.”
This innovative approach, akin to a CT scan of the Earth’s forests, will allow scientists to analyze slices of forest on repeated passes, building a detailed 3D picture of the woody biomass present. This woody material serves as a crucial proxy for the amount of carbon dioxide stored, offering a far more accurate assessment than current methods that rely on extrapolating data from individual tree measurements.
Professor Mat Disney of University College London highlighted the limitations of current understanding, noting, “Our current understanding is really patchy, because it’s really, really difficult to measure. Essentially, what we’re talking about is trying to weigh the amount of carbon that’s stored in one and a half trillion trees across the tropics. Satellites are really the only way you can do that consistently.”
Tracking deforestation
With a budget of €470 million and contributions from 20 ESA member states and 50 companies, the mission aims to produce the first maps within six months and continue gathering data for five years. These annual maps will not only detail carbon storage, but also track deforestation rates, even in cloud-covered tropical regions where traditional satellite imagery struggles.
Professor John Remedios, director of The National Centre for Earth Observation, who proposed the mission, emphasized the significance, stating it would be a “major achievement to actually know for the first time with high accuracy how much is actually in the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia.”
Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, which contributed funding to the mission, underscored its importance for climate action: “The Biomass satellite represents a major leap forward in our ability to understand Earth’s carbon cycle. It will provide critical insights into how our planet is responding to climate change — helping scientists, policymakers, and conservationists take informed action.”
While the rocket launch was successful, scientists acknowledge that deploying the large antenna in space presents its own set of challenges. The mission is the culmination of decades of international collaboration, with Professor Shaun Quegan from the University of Sheffield conceiving the idea. Expertise from the American company L3Harris Technologies was also enlisted for the construction of the complex antenna-reflector.
Ultimately, the Biomass mission promises to provide unprecedented insights into the vital role forests play in the global carbon cycle, offering crucial data for tackling deforestation and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Concludes Dr Cordey : “It’s exciting, because it’s going to tell us about how something that we perhaps take for granted… our forests, our trees… how they are contributing to the processes which govern our planet, and in particular, the processes behind climate change which are so important to us today and for the future.”
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