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Abstract:
The magnitude of the global terrestrial carbon pool and related fluxes to and from the atmosphere are still poorly
known. The European Space Agency P-band radar BIOMASS mission will help to reduce this uncertainty by providing
unprecedented information on the distribution of forest above-ground biomass (AGB), particularly in the
tropicswhere the gaps are greatest and knowledge ismost needed.Mission selection wasmade in full knowledge
of coverage restrictions over Europe, North and Central America imposed by the US Department of Defense Space
Objects Tracking Radar (SOTR) stations. Under these restrictions, only 3% of AGB carbon stock coverage is lost in
the tropical forest biome,with this biome representing 66% of global AGB carbon stocks in 2005. The loss is more
significant in the temperate (72%), boreal (37%) and subtropical (29%) biomes, with these accounting for approximately
12%, 15% and 7%, respectively, of the global forest AGB carbon stocks. In terms of global carbon cycle
modelling, there is minimal impact in areas of high AGB density, since mainly lower biomass forests in cooler climates
are affected. In addition, most areas affected by the SOTR stations are located in industrialized countries
with well-developed national forest inventories, so that extensive information on AGB is already available.
Hence the main scientific objectives of the BIOMASS mission are not seriously compromised. Furthermore, several
space sensors that can estimate AGB in lower biomass forests are in orbit or planned for launch between now
and the launch of BIOMASS in 2021, which will help to fill the gaps in mission coverage.
