Dr Ed Mitchard - Measuring Forests from Space

Duration: 50 mins 1 sec

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Description:	Dr Ed Mitchard of the University of Edinburgh speaks about his work developing new methods to map changes in forests, especially using radar and LiDAR data, with a view to supporting policy efforts to reduce and reverse deforestation.

Created:

2016-12-01 14:04

Collection:

The Gatsby Plant Science Summer School Lecture Collection

Publisher:

University of Cambridge

Language:

eng (English)

Credits:

Person:	Dr Ed Mitchard
Director:	Harriet Truscott
Editor:	Leeds Media Services


Abstract:	Forests cover about a third of the Earth’s land surface (and just 9.5 % of its total surface once accounting for oceans), and yet perform about 60 % of the Earth’s photosynthesis and hold over 95 % of the Earth’s biomass. Yet this area has reduced with accelerating rapidity over the past few thousand years as humans have converted forests to agriculture, pasture and urban areas. Only since the launch of earth observation satellites in the 1970’s were we able to start tracking this forest loss, and technological and methodological advances mean we can now map forest extent with high accuracy, supporting policy efforts to reduce and reverse deforestation. However, forests are highly diverse, and are themselves changing rapidly. Photosynthesis rates are far higher in a world of >400 ppm CO2 than the 280 ppm of the 1850s so forests globally are increasing in biomass as rates of tree growth exceed losses from tree death. At the same time forests are being degraded by selective logging and fuel gathering, with estimates suggesting that as much of half of the world’s tropical forests are in some way or other disturbed. Conventional Earth Observation methods largely do not allow for distinguishing changes in the structure of forests: forests appear as a blanket of green. I will talk about my work developing new methods to map changes in forests, especially using radar and LiDAR data, concentrating on the route from field data collection in remote parts of Cameroon and Gabon to new pantropical maps. I will also discuss research impact: how I try to ensure governments implement more sensible monitoring methods, and my work on web tools to democratize access to large geospatial datasets.

Abstract:

Forests cover about a third of the Earth’s land surface (and just 9.5 % of its total surface once accounting
for oceans), and yet perform about 60 % of the Earth’s photosynthesis and hold over 95 % of the Earth’s
biomass. Yet this area has reduced with accelerating rapidity over the past few thousand years as humans
have converted forests to agriculture, pasture and urban areas. Only since the launch of earth observation
satellites in the 1970’s were we able to start tracking this forest loss, and technological and methodological
advances mean we can now map forest extent with high accuracy, supporting policy efforts to reduce and
reverse deforestation.

However, forests are highly diverse, and are themselves changing rapidly. Photosynthesis rates are far higher
in a world of >400 ppm CO2 than the 280 ppm of the 1850s so forests globally are increasing in biomass as
rates of tree growth exceed losses from tree death. At the same time forests are being degraded by selective
logging and fuel gathering, with estimates suggesting that as much of half of the world’s tropical forests
are in some way or other disturbed. Conventional Earth Observation methods largely do not allow for
distinguishing changes in the structure of forests: forests appear as a blanket of green.

I will talk about my work developing new methods to map changes in forests, especially using radar and
LiDAR data, concentrating on the route from field data collection in remote parts of Cameroon and Gabon to
new pantropical maps. I will also discuss research impact: how I try to ensure governments implement more
sensible monitoring methods, and my work on web tools to democratize access to large geospatial datasets.

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