NASA Map Reveals Detailed Patterns of Tropical Forest Carbon
Storage A NASA-led research team has used a variety of satellite
data to create the most precise map ever produced depicting the
amount and location of carbon stored in Earth's tropical
forests. The data are expected to provide a baseline for ongoing
carbon monitoring and research and serve as a useful resource
for managing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The new map,
created from ground- and space-based data, shows the
distribution of carbon stored in forests across more than 75
tropical countries. Most of that carbon is stored in the
extensive forests of Latin America. "This is a benchmark map
that can be used as a basis for comparison in the future when
the forest cover and its carbon stock change," said Sassan
Saatchi of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.,
who led the research. "The map shows not only the amount of
carbon stored in the forest, but also the accuracy of the
estimate." The study was published May 30 in the Proc