Biomass beyond forests

Biomass is the first satellite to carry a P-band synthetic aperture radar. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, this novel radar is able to penetrate through the forest canopy, allowing it to collect information on different parts of the forest, such as tree trunks, branches and stems – which is where trees store most of their carbon. The mission’s novel P-band radar also offers opportunities to explore other aspects of Earth. The animation highlights three secondary science objectives.

The long wavelength of P-band means that it can penetrate deep into ice and so is less affected by melt and snowfall on the ice surface, which can skew measurements from space. Biomass is expected to measure glacier and ice-sheet velocities in regions where surface-ice conditions are too variable for shorter wavelength synthetic aperture radars to provide accurate information. Moreover, Biomass will map Antarctica for the very first time with a P-band radar.

The P-band signal can also penetrate through dry sand by as much as five metres. Data from Biomass will, therefore, be used to map and study sub-surface geological features in deserts, such the remains of ancient riverbeds and lakes. This will help understand the past climate and also help prospect fossil water resources in desert regions. 

Thanks to its ability to penetrate through the forest canopy, data from Biomass is well-suited for the study of terrain height, normally hidden from view by the forest canopy. Over its life in orbit, Biomass will produce terrain topography under dense vegetation, thus removing the biases in digital elevation models created from radar observations using shorter wavelengths.