The first P-band radar satellite designed to study the biosphere, Biomass, begins its operation. Its capabilities are really impressive, because radio waves can pass through tree branches and show what is underneath them. It is expected that this spacecraft will provide a better understanding of what is happening with the carbon cycle on a global scale.
New satellite
Today, at the Living Planet symposium, representatives of the European Space Agency shared the first images from Biomass, a new satellite designed to study the state of living matter on Earth. This is the first such unit equipped with a synthetic aperture radar operating in the P-band.
Biomass was launched into orbit just two months ago, and it is still undergoing adjustments before it begins serious work, but it is already producing impressive data. Synthetic aperture radars have been used on spacecraft before. They operate on the principle of continuously capturing the reflected signal while moving in orbit.
This allows them to obtain data about the shape of objects. Radio waves are capable of passing through smoke and clouds. Nighttime does not prevent it from receiving images either. However, in the case of Biomass, it was possible to achieve what had previously only been partially possible. Its radar can see through the canopy of trees.
What’s in the photo?
The latter fact is particularly important, as Biomass is capable of seeing branches under the canopy of trees all the way down to the ground. This means that it can perform one of the most difficult tasks in modern biology — tracking changes in forest biomass.
In fact, the first image presented at the symposium shows the Bolivian forest, which is one of the most important components of the global biosphere and, at the same time, one of the most ecologically threatened regions. The colors in the image are artificial and demonstrate the satellite’s ability to distinguish between meadows, swamps, and thickets in the forest.
The second image shows how advanced Biomass is compared to conventional Sentinel-2 instruments. After all, the image contains significantly more surface details. For example, it shows how turbulent the rivers are.
Other photos depicting tropical forests in Brazil, Indonesia, and Gabon demonstrate the vehicle’s ability to explore swamps hidden in the forest. They are important natural carbon sinks and participate in the carbon cycle, which humans actively influence through their economic activities.
Other possibilities
Biomass radar has several additional advantages. Its waves should penetrate deeper through the sand. This opens up a ton of possibilities for finding structures buried underneath it, like ancient ruins.
Also, as shown in the image of the Antarctic Ridge, the radar waves from the new satellite penetrate deeper through the ice. This will help us study the processes occurring in the ice sheets at the poles of our planet.
According to www.esa.int
