ESA’s Biomass mission, launching in April 2025, will use P-band radar to map global forests in 3D, measuring carbon storage and tracking deforestation. It aids climate research by revealing how forests absorb CO₂ and how much is released through forest loss, enhancing understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle and climate change.
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European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Biomass mission to map forests, monitor carbon storage, and aid climate studies, enhancing global understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is launching a new satellite called Biomass.
It will monitor the world’s forests to help scientists understand how much carbon is stored in them and how deforestation affects climate change.
The Biomass satellite will launch on April 29, 2025 , using a rocket called Vega C from French Guiana.
Once launched, it will orbit Earth at an altitude of about 666 kilometers . This orbit is special because it keeps the satellite synced with the Sun, meaning it will always pass over areas at the same time of day. This is called a sun-synchronous orbit.
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The Biomass mission is part of ESA’s Earth Explorer program, which launches satellites to study different parts of Earth. These satellites help to understand things like ocean currents, ice caps, clouds, and land surfaces. ● The first satellite, GOCE, studied Earth’s gravity and ocean circulation. ● The most recent one, EarthCARE, helps to understand how clouds and aerosols affect Earth’s climate. |
Forests are like giant sponges that soak up carbon dioxide (CO₂), a gas that warms the planet. Scientists estimate that forests absorb around 16 billion metric tons of CO₂ every year. But we don’t know exactly how much carbon is stored in forests because measuring this on a large scale is difficult.
The Biomass mission will create detailed 3D maps of forests, showing how tall they are, how dense they are, and how much carbon they hold. Besides forests, the satellite will also study ice sheets in Antarctica to see how they are moving and melting.
Humans cut down millions of hectares of forests every year, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. In 2023 alone, 3.7 million hectares of tropical forests were lost, which is like losing 10 soccer fields of forest every minute. This loss contributed to about 6% of global CO₂ emissions . The Biomass mission will track these changes and help us understand their impact.
The Biomass satellite uses a special radar called P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). This radar sends out long waves that can pass through the tops of trees (canopy) and measure the carbon stored in tree trunks, branches, and even the forest floor.
This is a first-of-its-kind radar system. No other satellite has ever used P-band radar before. The satellite also has a huge 12-meter antenna that unfolds once it is in space. This antenna helps the satellite "see" through thick forests and gather accurate data.
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Match the biomass conversion process with its product: Process Product A. Pyrolysis 1. Biogas B. Anaerobic Digestion 2. Bio-oil C. Gasification 3. Syngas D. Fermentation 4. Ethanol Select the correct answer using the codes given below: a) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4 b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 c) A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3 d) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 Answer: a Explanation: A-2 (Pyrolysis-Bio-oil), B-1 (Anaerobic Digestion-Biogas), C-3 (Gasification-Syngas), D-4 (Fermentation-Ethanol). ● Pyrolysis heats biomass without oxygen, producing bio-oil. ● Anaerobic digestion uses bacteria to decompose organic matter in an oxygen-free environment, yielding biogas (methane and CO₂). ● Gasification partially oxidizes biomass at high temperatures, generating syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). ● Fermentation converts sugars in biomass into ethanol using microorganisms. |
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