ESA launches Biomass satellite to "weigh" Earth's forests to combat climate change

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a unique satellite called Biomass, which will be able to measure the amount of carbon stored in Earth's forests. The new satellite will be able to "see" through clouds and dense treetops, providing information that was previously impossible to obtain from orbit, the BBC reports.

The mission's goal is to better understand how tropical forests help to mitigate global warming. It is estimated that the planet's more than 1.5 trillion trees store vast amounts of carbon, but estimating how much has been difficult due to the limitations of existing tools.

The new Biomass satellite, developed with Airbus, uses long-wave radar that can penetrate the forest canopy to reach the branches and trunks - the main "storage" of carbon. The device is equipped with a 12-meter diameter deployable antenna, which has already been dubbed a "space brolly".

"Most radars that we have in space today take wonderful images of icebergs, but when they look at forests they see the tops of the forest, the little twigs, the little leaves, they don't penetrate down into the forests," explained Dr. Ralph Cordey from Airbus.

The satellite weighs 1.2 tons and will collect data on wood mass, which is a reliable indicator of the amount of carbon dioxide stored in an ecosystem.

This data will allow scientists to better model climate change, track deforestation rates and estimate carbon losses. The first results are expected within six months of launch, and the mission itself will last at least five years.

An important advantage of the satellite is its ability to operate regardless of weather conditions - the Biomass radar is able to "see" even through dense cloud cover, which often complicates observation in the tropics.

The project, which has been in the works for over 20 years, could be a real breakthrough in forest monitoring.

"Our forests, our trees, how they are contributing to the processes which govern our planet, and in particular, the processes behind climate change which are so important to us today and for the future," added Cordey.