\t\t\t\t\t\t13\/11\/2025<\/span> As the COP30 climate conference gets underway in Brazil, the world\u2019s attention is once again drawn to the plight of the Amazon \u2013 the planet\u2019s largest and most vital rainforest. With the European Space Agency\u2019s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite now in orbit, ESA is helping Brazil prepare to transform this new mission\u2019s groundbreaking data into actionable knowledge for protecting the rainforest and confronting climate change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Launched earlier this year, the Biomass mission is designed to unlock novel insights into how forests are changing and their pivotal role in regulating Earth\u2019s carbon cycle.<\/p>\n It is the first satellite to carry a P-band synthetic aperture radar\u00a0\u2013 its signal capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure woody biomass: trunks, branches and stems. These measurements serve as a proxy for carbon storage, the assessment of which is the mission\u2019s primary objective.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The delivery of these novel measurements is, without doubt remarkable, but it is important that users are equipped with the know-how to exploit them to their full potential.<\/p>\n To this end, ESA, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) recently joined forces in Bel\u00e9m to assess how best to exploit Biomass\u2019 data.<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s Head of Green Solutions Division, Inge Jonckheere, said, \u201cWe\u2019re working to bridge the gap between available satellite data and their practical application in Brazil\u2019s national monitoring efforts, including reporting to international climate frameworks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCollaborating closely with our Brazilian partners is essential to ensure that Biomass and other satellite data are fully integrated into their data processing systems, supporting the creation of local, national and regional data products.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n ESA\u2019s Biomass Processor Development Manager, Muriel Pinheiro, noted, \u201cBiomass is the first P-band synthetic aperture radar mission in space, and its data are expected to bring unprecedented insight into forest structure.<\/p>\n \u201cPreparing the Brazilian forestry community for using all the Biomass data products is fundamental, not only to ensure the early uptake of the data, but also to promote independent validation, which is fully aligned to the mission\u2019s open-science oriented strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n Alessandra Gomes from INPE, added, \u201cThe INPE\u2013ESA collaboration will allow scientists to evaluate how the ESA Biomass mission can provide new and unprecedented insights into global forest carbon dynamics, especially in the Amazon where cloud cover and dense canopy conditions make monitoring particularly challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, the radar signal, depending on the polarisation, emitted by the Biomass satellite penetrates the whole forest layer and the signal is scattered back by the individual elements of the forest canopy.<\/p>\n In this way, the measured signal carries information about the forest structure and can be used to infer parameters such as forest biomass and forest height.<\/p>\n \nA note on the images<\/b> Then the two side-by-side images above reveal the forest at different heights. The image on the left shows the forest floor, while the image on the right captures the canopy about 30 metres above the ground.<\/p>\n The vertical profile below is a section of forest in the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, deep in the Amazon rainforest \u2013 it offers a glimpse into how forest structure varies across the landscape.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Stefano Tebaldini, Associate Professor at the Politecnico di Milano and who leads the science for Biomass, said, \u201cThe Biomass satellite carries a fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar, meaning it can transmit and receive signals in two orthogonal linear polarisations \u2013 horizontal and vertical.<\/p>\n \u201cEach polarisation channel provides different types of information about the forest. But to capture details such as forest height and the structure beneath the canopy, the satellite must pass over the same area multiple times \u2013 a technique known as synthetic aperture radar interferometry. Biomass is also the first radar mission in space to include a dedicated tomographic phase, allowing us to build vertical cross-sections of forested regions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn short, interpreting and applying the eventual data \u2013 Biomass is still in its commissioning phase \u2013 is a complex process, but ESA is helping to make sure that users can fully harness this information for science and environmental management.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s important to note that the Biomass satellite is still in its commissioning phase, so these data are not yet suitable for scientific use. However, with ESA\u2019s guidance, examples like these are already helping Brazil\u2019s scientific community prepare for the wealth of information the mission will soon deliver.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Meanwhile, at COP30, ESA\u2019s Head of Actionable Climate Information Section, Clement Albergel, said, \u201cPolicymakers from nations around the globe are here assessing progress under the Paris Agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cESA\u2019s role, in this respect, is to provide transparent and reliable data that enables countries to track their progress and strengthen national climate action \u2013 our main effort here is carried out through our\u00a0Climate Change Initiative, to which the Biomass mission will contribute once it is fully commissioned.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the value of efforts made to help nations use specific data for their own needs cannot be underestimated, particularly when it comes to assessing the health of forests and how they are being altered, which will be tackled as part of the overall Earth Action element of ESA\u2019s FutureEO programme.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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The first image, within the text above, is a map for reference and a strip displaying Biomass data which depicts forest height in a section of rainforest that stretches from northern Brazil to Suriname. This capture also includes a corner of the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park.<\/p>\n
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