Biomass satellite

ESA’s forest mission, Biomass, uses a novel measuring technique to deliver completely new information on forest height and above-ground forest biomass from space. The satellite uses a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the radar signal can slice through the whole forest layer so that the biomass of trees to be estimated. Information from the mission will lead to a better understanding of the state of Earth’s forests, how they are changing over time, and advance our knowledge of the carbon cycle.