NASA ABoVE project improves biomass mapping to track carbon in Arctic and boreal forests

Two new studies from the University of Utah, part of NASA's ABoVE campaign, tackle a big problem in climate science: how much carbon is actually stored in Arctic and boreal forests. One study compares nine satellite biomass datasets and finds that different maps work better for different tasks like tracking wildfire damage or estimating national carbon budgets. The other study produces a new 30 meter resolution biomass map covering Alaska and Canada from 1984 to 2022, detailed enough to spot logging or land conversion. This matters because northern ecosystems are warming four times faster than the global average. Scientists have assumed these forests will absorb more CO2 as temperatures rise, but the new research shows the picture is more complicated. Warming also drives more wildfires, insect outbreaks, and drought stress that can turn these regions from carbon sinks into carbon sources. The datasets give researchers and policymakers a clearer view of what is actually happening on the ground.