On the NASA GEDI and ESA CCI biomass maps: aligning for uptake in the UNFCCC global stocktake

Space data are uniquely positioned to estimate forest aboveground biomass density (AGBD) in accordance with the UNFCCC principles of ‘transparency, accuracy, completeness, consistency and comparability’. However, the uptake of space-based AGBD maps for national reporting is nearly non-existent as of 2023, the end of the first Global Stocktake (GST). We conduct an evidence-based comparison of AGBD estimates from the NASA Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI), describing differences, comparisons to National Forest Inventories (NFIs), and suggesting how science-teams must align to inform the next GST. In the tropics, the largest differences in estimated AGBD between the products are in the Congolese lowlands and east/southeast Asia. Where NFI data were acquired (across Peru, Mexico, Laos and 30 regions of Spain), both products show high correlation to NFI-estimated AGBD, with no systematic deviations, and the AGBD-richest stratum of the Peruvian Amazon is accurately estimated in both. These results are promising, and while validation remains paramount, we describe targeted ways for the products to align with IPCC guidelines to support the operational use of the products for policy. [...] With these steps, the Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS) can release a consistent message on global biomass estimates and have actionable policy impact.

HUNKA Neha;  SANTORO Maurizio;  ARMSTON John;  DUBAYAH Ralph;  MCROBERTS Ronald;  NAESSET Erik;  QUEGAN Shaun;  URBAZAEV Mikhail;  PASCUAL Adrián;  MAY Paul;  MINOR David;  LEITOLD Veronika;  BASAK Paromita;  LIANG Mengyu;  MELO Joana;  HEROLD Martin;  MÁLAGA Natalia;  WILSON Sylvia;  DURÁN MONTESINOS Patricia;  ARANA Alexs;  DE LA CRUZ PAIVA Ricardo Ernesto;  FERRAND Jeremy;  KEOKA Somphavy;  GUERRA-HERNÁNDEZ Juan;  DUNCANSON Laura; 

2023-11-29

IOP PUBLISHING LTD

JRC134014

1748-9326 (online),   

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0b60,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC134014,   

10.1088/1748-9326/ad0b60 (online),