Woods Hole Research Center

Distribution of Above-Ground Biomass in the Tropical Region of Africa:

Africa has one of largest remaining blocks of tropical humid forest in the world, second only to the Amazon basin. The threat of deforestation or degradation of these forests means a high potential for increased emissions. The Woods Hole Research Center has produced a first map of the distribution of above-ground biomass covering the tropical region of Africa by utilizing images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) satellite (1-km resolution) along with data from recent forest inventories covering the period from 2000 to 2003. This map is part of the pantropical mapping project, a three-year multi-disciplinary initiative at the Center.

Monitoring Land Cover and Land Use in Central Africa:

One of the key projects for the Woods Hole Research Center’s work in Africa is the collaboration with the INtegrated FORest Monitoring System for Central Africa Project (INFORMS). INFORMS was designed to monitor land-cover and land-use changes in the tropical rain forests of Central Africa through mapping of forest types, extent, spatial distribution, and biomass using an integrated approach of remote sensing and field observations. The goal is to integrate data acquired from satellites with field observations from forest inventories, wildlife surveys, and socioeconomic studies to map and monitor forest resources. Because cooperation among all stakeholders is necessary for a long-term and sustainable system of forest conservation and management, the project emphasizes partnership and coordination with international, regional, national, and local partners from the non-profit, governmental, and commercial sectors.

Pan-tropical Forest Cover Mapped with Cloud-Free Radar Imaging:

As international initiatives develop under the UNFCCC to provide a policy mechanism for slowing tropical deforestation, a baseline for evaluating and monitoring forest cover and associated biomass changes needs to be established across the forested tropics of Central Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. The Woods Hole Research Center has initiated a three-year project focused on pan-tropical mapping of forest cover and associated carbon stocks stored in above-ground biomass. The project encompasses two mapping approaches: this approach focuses on the production of a pan-tropical database of high-resolution ALOS/PALSAR data and their use for pan-tropical forest cover mapping as baseline data for subsequent deforestation and forest degradation monitoring.

Pan-tropical Forest Carbon Mapped with Satellite and Field Observations:

Tropical deforestation and forest degradation account for an estimated 20% of the world's anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, a significant greenhouse gas contributor. Despite the important services that tropical forests provide, there is incomplete data and knowledge of their condition and coverage, and thus no accurate baseline for evaluating and monitoring future changes. The Woods Hole Research Center has initiated a three-year project focused on pan-tropical mapping of forest cover and carbon stocks stored in tropical forests. The project encompasses two mapping approaches: this approach employs the fusion of medium-resolution optical (MODIS) and lidar (GLAS) data. It is a first pan-tropical map of forest carbon derived using this approach, informed with extensive satellite canopy structure sampling calibrated with co-located field measurements.

Serving as a Resource: Datasets for Amazonia and the Cerrado:

This collection of Amazonian datasets was assembled with funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). This project was conducted in anticipation of the Large-Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment (LBA), an international research effort led by Brazil. The science questions addressed by LBA include: How does Amazonia currently function as a regional entity? How will changes in land use and climate affect the biological, chemical, and physical functions of Amazonia, including the sustainability of development in the region and the influence of Amazonia on global climate? These datasets are intended to facilitate both the LBA research as well as other studies that require spatially-explicit datasets for this tropical forest formation.

National Level Carbon Stock Dataset:

As part of ongoing projects in the pan-tropical region, Woods Hole Research Center scientists and their collaborators generated a national level aboveground dataset for tropical countries. Using a combination of co-located field measurements, LiDAR observations and imagery recorded from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), WHRC researchers produced national level maps showing the amount and spatial distribution of aboveground carbon.