Biomass tomography

ESA’s 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 tree trunks, branches and stems – which is where trees store most of their carbon.

Biomass’ measuring technique starting from a single pass to retrieve the polarimetric radar signature of the forest, which provides an initial view of the forest canopy and forest density. The mission’s interferometric phase includes a second and third pass over the same area which is crucial to measuring forest height and gaining more accurate measurements of above-ground biomass. During the mission’s tomographic phase, the area is revisited up to seven times to reveal the inner structure of the forest.