Mapping aboveground biomass is a priority for several new space agency missions, including GEDI, ICESat-2, BIOMASS, ALOS-4 and NISAR. The biomass products provided by these missions can support the management of forests to support climate mitigation, supplementing ground-based data as typically collected for National Forest Inventories (NFIs).
Furthermore, space-based biomass data can provide critical data to ensure the quality and integrity of carbon credit programmes. The transparency offered by space-based data allows consumers to be confident when engaging with a carbon credit provider.
The CEOS Biomass Cal/Val Protocol aims to provide clear guidance on generating and using biomass products, to help mitigate variances between products which may lead to confusion and reduced confidence. Together with the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), CEOS Agencies are undertaking an activity to align space-based biomass products with user needs in a consistent manner. The goal is to understand and communicate discrepancies between products, and provide harmonised products based on specific needs of countries.
Below are several ongoing and demonstrator products which provide continental - global scale biomass maps.
