• NASA creates world's first global forest map using Lasers
    57 replies, posted
This just in: All the forests have burned. [release] [img]http://www.treehugger.com/NASA-Satellite-Map-Trees-Photo.jpg[/img] Scientists, using three NASA satellites, have created a first-of-its-kind map that details the height of the world's forests. The data was collected from NASA's ICESat, Terra and Aqua satellites. The latter two satellites are responsible for most of NASA's Gulf spill imagery. The data collected will help scientists understand how the world's forests both store and process carbon. While there are many local and regional canopy maps, this is the very first global map using a uniform method for measure. [img]http://www.treehugger.com/NASA-Tree-Satellite.jpg[/img] The laser technology called LIDAR was used to capture the data. It is capable of taking vertical slices of surface features. It measured the forest canopy by shooting a pulse of light at the surface and observed the time it took to return in comparison to the time recorded for the tree top. [img]http://www.treehugger.com/470377main_globaltreecanopy_cutoutmap.jpg[/img] "LIDAR is unparalleled for this type of measurement," said Michael Lefsky of the Colorado State University, responsible for capturing the data. He explains that it would have taken weeks to capture this data in the field where LIDAR can capture it in seconds. The map is based on data from more than 250 million laser pulses collected over 7 years. The new map confirms that the world's tallest forests are clustered in the Pacific Northwest of North America and some parts of Southeast Asia. Temperate conifer forests--which are moist and harbor species such as Douglas fir, western hemlock, redwoods, and sequoias--have the tallest canopies (over 131 feet high). Undisturbed tropical rain forests are about 82 feet high, around the same height as oak and birch trees. [img]http://www.treehugger.com/NASA-Satellite-Map-World-Photo.png[/img] "What we really want is a map of above-ground biomass, and the height map helps get us there," said Richard Houghton, an expert in terrestrial ecosystem science. But what about the carbon? Humans release over 7 billion tons of carbon every year. The atmosphere gets most of it (3 billion tons) while the ocean gets around 2 billion itself. But scientists have long wondered where the remaining 2 billion tons of carbon goes. They suspect forests capture most of it through photosynthesis, with younger forests absorbing more than older ones. Surely, we can speculate what this kind of map can tell us about climate change. But as Lefsky points out, "This is a really just a first draft." [/release]
Handy that
NASA is amazing
I expected more trees :ohdear: Cause that ain't much.
Entire Finland is forest :downs:
Wow, there sure is a small amount of forest left in the world. In ancient times there used to be LOTS of it, but now there's not much left. Kinda makes you wish there was more forest left to go around...
You forgot the source :v:
Really? That's all there is? I was under the impression that pretty much all of south America was forested for some reason. Fucking hell.
Take some of our trees we're god damn overrun.
[url=http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/470377main_globaltreecanopy_cutoutmap.jpg]Here's a bigger map[/url]
[QUOTE=scotland1;23541183]Take some of our trees we're god damn overrun.[/QUOTE] No man trees are fucking awesome.
[QUOTE=bravehat;23540987]I expected more trees :ohdear: Cause that ain't much.[/QUOTE] Agreed. I wonder how green that map would have been if it was made 10.000 years ago.
What can't lasers do?
[QUOTE=ironman17;23540996]Wow, there sure is a small amount of forest left in the world. In ancient times there used to be LOTS of it, but now there's not much left. Kinda makes you wish there was more forest left to go around...[/QUOTE] Something tells me that map isn't entirely accurate. If that map is to be believed, there isn't a single forest in all of North Dakota, Iowa or Illinois.
[img]http://pieceofsite.seniorbrown.com/files/forums/NS/ion_cannon.jpg[/img] OH SHIT WRONG LASER o
okay I know for a fact the midwest has forests why aren't they on there
[QUOTE=sgtshock;23541625]Something tells me that map isn't entirely accurate. If that map is to be believed, there isn't a single forest in all of North Dakota, Iowa or Illinois.[/QUOTE] Have you ever been there? I go every summer, I say this map is accurate for the most part.
Is there anything lasers can't solve?
Damn Egyptians cutting down all the fucking trees to move the pyramid blocks.. You'd think they would have known of the repercussions. :downs:
[QUOTE=Applecrap;23542325]Have you ever been there? I go every summer, I say this map is accurate for the most part.[/QUOTE] I live in Illinois. We have forests.
[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;23542346]Is there anything lasers can't solve?[/QUOTE] Deforestation
My state, Maine is covered, and that is the way the actual state is. It is hard to find a place without trees.
[QUOTE=Applecrap;23542325]Have you ever been there? I go every summer, I say this map is accurate for the most part.[/QUOTE] When I was little we would drive from Ohio to Utah (we had family there, and didn't want to spend money on airfare), and if there's one thing the Midwest doesn't lack, it's trees.
Eastern Europe forest buddies, fuck yes
map is wrong about texas, there are actually tons of large-scale forests here
Earth needs some serious hair regrowth stuff because I see a lot of bald spots.
I'm suprised as to how little trees poland has, when i go there seems to be tons of forests.
Holy fucking shit. Go back a few hundreds years, before the US was trimmed.
i think the map only detects trees above a certain height
How long until this makes it to Google Maps?
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