HR: 16:30h
AN: B54B-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Spatial Distribution of Carbon Stock in the Amazon Basin
AU: * Saatchi, S S
EM: saatchi@congo.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propuslion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Houghton, R A
EM: rhoughton@whrc.org
AF: Woods Hole Research Center, P.O. Box 296, Woods Hole, MA 02540 United States
AU: dos Santos Alvala, R C
EM: regina@cptec.inpe.br
AF: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais- INPE, Av. dos Astronautas,1.758 - Jd. Granja, Sao Jos‚ dos Campos, SP 12227-010 Brazil
AU: Soares, J V
EM: vianei@ltid.inpe.br
AF: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais- INPE, Av. dos Astronautas,1.758 - Jd. Granja, Sao Jos‚ dos Campos, SP 12227-010 Brazil
AU: Yu, Y
EM: Yifan.Yu@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propuslion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: The amount and spatial distribution of forest biomass in the Amazon basin is a major source of uncertainty in estimating the flux of carbon released from land-cover and land-use change. Direct measurements of aboveground live biomass (AGLB) are limited to small areas of forest inventory plots and site-specific allometric equations that cannot be readily generalized for the entire basin. Furthermore, there is no spaceborne remote sensing instrument that can measure tropical forest biomass directly. To determine the spatial distribution of forest biomass of the Amazon basin, we introduce a methodology based on spatial data, such as land cover, remote sensing metrics representing various forest structural parameters and environmental variables, and more than 500 forest plots distributed over the basin. Results show that AGLB is highest in the main Central Amazon and in regions to the east and north, including the Guyanas. Biomass is generally above 300 Mg/ha here except in areas of intense logging or open floodplains. In the Western Amazon from the lowland regions of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia to the Andean elevational gradients, biomass ranges from 150-300 Mg/ha. Most transitional and seasonal forests in southern and northwestern edges of the basin have biomass ranging from 100-200 Mg/ha. We predict, the total carbon in forest biomass of the Amazon basin, including the dead and belowground biomass, is about 86 PgC with uncertainty that compares in magnitude with the range of carbon predicted by other models.
UR: http://www-radar.jpl.nasa.gov/carbon
DE: 4806 Carbon cycling (0428)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005