As the COP30 climate summit begins in Brazil, global attention is once again focused on the Amazon rainforest. With the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite now in orbit, ESA is working with Brazilian institutions to prepare for the use of the mission’s advanced data to help protect the rainforest and strengthen climate action, reports The European Space Agency.
Launched earlier this year, the Biomass satellite is designed to generate new insights into forest changes and their role in regulating the planet’s carbon cycle. It is the first satellite equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate dense forest canopies to measure woody biomass — a key indicator of carbon storage.
To ensure these measurements can be fully employed, ESA, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) recently met in Belém to determine how Brazil can best integrate Biomass data into national monitoring systems.
Inge Jonckheere, Head of ESA’s Green Solutions Division, said the goal is to “close the gap between available satellite information and how it can be put to use in Brazil’s monitoring programmes and climate reporting.” She said close coordination with Brazilian institutions is essential to embed Biomass and other satellite data into national systems and support the development of local and regional information products.
Muriel Pinheiro, ESA’s Biomass Processor Development Manager, said the mission’s P-band radar will provide “an unmatched view of forest structure.” She added that preparing Brazil’s forestry community to handle the full range of Biomass products is important for early adoption and independent validation, in line with the mission’s open-science approach.
INPE researcher Alessandra Gomes said the partnership will help scientists understand how Biomass data can improve knowledge of global forest carbon dynamics, particularly in the Amazon, where heavy cloud cover and dense canopies make monitoring difficult.
The P-band radar can send signals through the forest canopy, with the returning signal providing information about forest height and woody biomass. Stefano Tebaldini, Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano and scientific lead for the mission, said the satellite carries a fully polarimetric radar that uses horizontal and vertical signal paths to capture different details about the forest. Multiple passes over the same area are needed to assess canopy height and structure, and Biomass is the first mission with a dedicated tomographic phase to generate vertical cross-sections of forests.
He stressed that interpreting the data is complex but noted that ESA is working to ensure users are prepared once the mission completes its commissioning phase. Biomass data is not yet suitable for scientific analysis, but training efforts are already under way.
At COP30, ESA’s Head of Actionable Climate Information Section, Clement Albergel, said policymakers are reviewing global progress under the Paris Agreement, and ESA’s role is to provide trustworthy observations that help countries track and strengthen their climate commitments. He noted that the Biomass mission will become part of ESA’s Climate Change Initiative once it is fully operational and emphasised the importance of helping countries apply mission-specific data to their own needs, especially for monitoring forest health under ESA’s Earth Action programme.
Launched earlier this year, the Biomass satellite is designed to generate new insights into forest changes and their role in regulating the planet’s carbon cycle. It is the first satellite equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate dense forest canopies to measure woody biomass — a key indicator of carbon storage.
To ensure these measurements can be fully employed, ESA, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) recently met in Belém to determine how Brazil can best integrate Biomass data into national monitoring systems.
Inge Jonckheere, Head of ESA’s Green Solutions Division, said the goal is to “close the gap between available satellite information and how it can be put to use in Brazil’s monitoring programmes and climate reporting.” She said close coordination with Brazilian institutions is essential to embed Biomass and other satellite data into national systems and support the development of local and regional information products.
Muriel Pinheiro, ESA’s Biomass Processor Development Manager, said the mission’s P-band radar will provide “an unmatched view of forest structure.” She added that preparing Brazil’s forestry community to handle the full range of Biomass products is important for early adoption and independent validation, in line with the mission’s open-science approach.
INPE researcher Alessandra Gomes said the partnership will help scientists understand how Biomass data can improve knowledge of global forest carbon dynamics, particularly in the Amazon, where heavy cloud cover and dense canopies make monitoring difficult.
The P-band radar can send signals through the forest canopy, with the returning signal providing information about forest height and woody biomass. Stefano Tebaldini, Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano and scientific lead for the mission, said the satellite carries a fully polarimetric radar that uses horizontal and vertical signal paths to capture different details about the forest. Multiple passes over the same area are needed to assess canopy height and structure, and Biomass is the first mission with a dedicated tomographic phase to generate vertical cross-sections of forests.
He stressed that interpreting the data is complex but noted that ESA is working to ensure users are prepared once the mission completes its commissioning phase. Biomass data is not yet suitable for scientific analysis, but training efforts are already under way.
At COP30, ESA’s Head of Actionable Climate Information Section, Clement Albergel, said policymakers are reviewing global progress under the Paris Agreement, and ESA’s role is to provide trustworthy observations that help countries track and strengthen their climate commitments. He noted that the Biomass mission will become part of ESA’s Climate Change Initiative once it is fully operational and emphasised the importance of helping countries apply mission-specific data to their own needs, especially for monitoring forest health under ESA’s Earth Action programme.
