Biomass on forests

The Biomass satellite carries the first P-band synthetic aperture radar to observe Earth from space. Thanks to its long wavelength, around 70 cm, the radar signal can penetrate all the way through the forest canopy. This feature allows it to collect information on the height and structure of different forest types, and ultimately be used to measure the amount of carbon they store and how this is changing over time.

Over its life in orbit, the mission is operated in two phases, namely, the tomographic phase at the beginning followed by the interferometric phase. Novel to Earth observation, the first phase yields 3D maps of forests. The second phase allows forest height and above-ground biomass to be estimated. During this phase, around five global maps are acquired.