Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 forest biomass estimates from Earth Observation

Aboveground biomass density (AGBD) estimates from Earth Observation (EO) can be presented with the consistency standards mandated by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This article delivers AGBD estimates, in the format of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 values for natural forests, sourced from National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2), and European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). It also provides the underlying classification used by the IPCC as geospatial layers, delineating global forests by ecozones, continents and status (primary, young (≤20 years) and old secondary (>20 years)). The approaches leverage complementary strengths of various EO-derived datasets that are compiled in an open-science framework through the Multi-mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP). This transparency and flexibility enables the adoption of any new incoming datasets in the framework in the future. The EO-based AGBD estimates are expected to be an independent contribution to the IPCC Emission Factors Database in support of UNFCCC processes, and the forest classification expected to support the generation of other policy-relevant datasets while reflecting ongoing shifts in global forests with climate change.

HUNKA Neha;  DUNCANSON Laura;  ARMSTON John;  DUBAYAH Ralph;  HEALEY Sean;  SANTORO Maurizio;  MAY Paul;  ARAZA Arnan;  BOURGOIN Clement;  MONTESANO Paul M.;  NEIGH Christopher;  GRANTHAM Hedley;  POTAPOV Peter;  TURUBANOVA Svetlana;  TYUKAVINA Alexandra;  RICHTER Jessica;  HARRIS Nancy;  URBAZAEV Mikhail;  PASCUAL Adrián;  REQUENA SUAREZ Daniela;  HEROLD Martin;  POULTER Benjamin;  WILSON Sylvia;  GRASSI Giacomo;  FEDERICI Sandro;  SANZ SANCHEZ Maria;  MELO Joana; 

2024-10-16

NATURE PORTFOLIO

JRC137337

2052-4463 (online),   

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03930-9,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC137337,   

10.1038/s41597-024-03930-9 (online),