Satellites designed to observe ocean winds can also be used to map both forest structure and water content, allowing researchers to disentangle factors of carbon loss due to drought in the Amazon.
Remote sensing
Posted inScience Updates
The Amazon River’s Ecosystem: Where Land Meets the Sea
What happens to plant matter on its journey down the Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean? One research group investigated the region where river and ocean meet to fill in this part of the story.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Probe Water Inside Leaves via Satellite
Improving satellite-based studies of vegetation optical depth, a critical ecosystem indicator.
Posted inNews
Eyes in the Sky Look Closer at Under-Surveyed Northern Forests
Spaceborne images give scientists a detailed picture of the boreal forests’ tree heights, which help scientists estimate their contribution to carbon budgets.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Improved Simulation of Gross Primary Productivity
A new model better explains seasonal variations in biomass.
Posted inScience Updates
Observing Life near the Ocean’s Surface with Satellites
Third International Ocean Colour Science (IOCS) Meeting; Lisbon, Portugal, 15–19 May 2017
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Microphysics of Squall Lines
Scientists tracked the distribution of raindrops of different sizes as a row of thunderstorms formed by a cold front developed and intensified over eastern China.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Smoke Signals in the Amazon
Forest fires can occur naturally, but in the world's largest rain forest, fire can signal large-scale deforestation.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Fighting Fire with Satellite Data
As climate change worsens wildfire impact, scientists use satellites to study climate-fire interactions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Plant Life Survives on Earth's Driest Inhabited Continent
Australia is a continent of extremes, and researchers find that some ecosystems are better equipped than others to deal with the country's characteristic extreme climatic variation.