Estimating aboveground forest biomass key to climate change research.
Estimating aboveground forest biomass key to climate change research.
Satellite data used by archaeologists to find traces of ancient ruins hidden under dense forest canopies can also be used to improve the speed and accuracy to measure how much carbon is retained and released in forests.
Understanding this carbon cycle is key to climate change research, according to Hamdi Zurqani, an assistant professor of geospatial science for the Arkansas Forest Resources Center and the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The center is headquartered at UAM and conducts research and extension activities through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and outreach arms.
“Forests are often called the lungs of our planet, and for good reason,” Zurqani said. “They store roughly 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon and play a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate.”
Read more at University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Photo Credit: zhangliams via Pixabay
