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Markedly divergent estimates of Amazon forest carbon density from ground plots and satellites

Mitchard, Edward T.A; Feldpausch, T R; Brienen, Roel J.W.; Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela; Monteagudo, Abel; Baker, Timothy R; Lewis, Simon; Lloyd, Jon; Quesada, Carlos A.; Gloor, Manuel; ter Steege, Hans; Meir, Patrick

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Aim: The accurate mapping of forest carbon stocks is essential for understanding the global carbon cycle, for assessing emissions from deforestation, and for rational land-use planning. Remote sensing (RS) is currently the key tool for this purpose, but RS does not estimate vegetation biomass directly, and thus may miss significant spatial variations in forest structure. We test the stated accuracy of pantropical carbon maps using a large independent field dataset. Location: Tropical forests of...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorMitchard, Edward T.A
dc.contributor.authorFeldpausch, T R
dc.contributor.authorBrienen, Roel J.W.
dc.contributor.authorLopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela
dc.contributor.authorMonteagudo, Abel
dc.contributor.authorBaker, Timothy R
dc.contributor.authorLewis, Simon
dc.contributor.authorLloyd, Jon
dc.contributor.authorQuesada, Carlos A.
dc.contributor.authorGloor, Manuel
dc.contributor.authorter Steege, Hans
dc.contributor.authorMeir, Patrick
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-13T22:27:29Z
dc.identifier.issn1466-822X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/73967
dc.description.abstractAim: The accurate mapping of forest carbon stocks is essential for understanding the global carbon cycle, for assessing emissions from deforestation, and for rational land-use planning. Remote sensing (RS) is currently the key tool for this purpose, but RS does not estimate vegetation biomass directly, and thus may miss significant spatial variations in forest structure. We test the stated accuracy of pantropical carbon maps using a large independent field dataset. Location: Tropical forests of the Amazon basin. The permanent archive of the field plot data can be accessed at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5521/FORESTPLOTS.NET/2014_1 Methods: Two recent pantropical RS maps of vegetation carbon are compared to a unique ground-plot dataset, involving tree measurements in 413 large inventory plots located in nine countries. The RS maps were compared directly to field plots, and kriging of the field data was used to allow area-based comparisons. Results: The two RS carbon maps fail to capture the main gradient in Amazon forest carbon detected using 413 ground plots, from the densely wooded tall forests of the north-east, to the light-wooded, shorter forests of the south-west. The differences between plots and RS maps far exceed the uncertainties given in these studies, with whole regions over- or under-estimated by >25%, whereas regional uncertainties for the maps were reported to be <5%. Main conclusions: Pantropical biomass maps are widely used by governments and by projects aiming to reduce deforestation using carbon offsets, but may have significant regional biases. Carbon-mapping techniques must be revised to account for the known ecological variation in tree wood density and allometry to create maps suitable for carbon accounting. The use of single relationships between tree canopy height and above-ground biomass inevitably yields large, spatially correlated errors. This presents a significant challenge to both the forest conservation and remote sensing communities, because neither wood density nor species assemblages can be reliably mapped from space.
dc.publisherBlackwell Publishing Ltd
dc.sourceGlobal Ecology and Biogeography
dc.titleMarkedly divergent estimates of Amazon forest carbon density from ground plots and satellites
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume23
dc.date.issued2014
local.identifier.absfor069902 - Global Change Biology
local.identifier.absfor050104 - Landscape Ecology
local.identifier.absfor050101 - Ecological Impacts of Climate Change
local.identifier.ariespublicationU3488905xPUB3910
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationMitchard, Edward T.A, University of Edinburgh
local.contributor.affiliationFeldpausch, T R , University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationBrienen, Roel J.W., University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationLopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela, University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationMonteagudo, Abel, Jardín Botánico de Missouri
local.contributor.affiliationBaker, Timothy R, University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationLewis, Simon, University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationLloyd, Jon, Imperial College
local.contributor.affiliationQuesada, Carlos A., Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia,
local.contributor.affiliationGloor, Manuel, University of Leeds
local.contributor.affiliationter Steege, Hans, Naturalis Biodiversity Center
local.contributor.affiliationMeir, Patrick, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.bibliographicCitation.issue8
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage935
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage946
local.identifier.doi10.1111/geb.12168
local.identifier.absseo960501 - Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales
local.identifier.absseo970105 - Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
local.identifier.absseo970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
dc.date.updated2015-12-11T08:32:23Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84903817503
local.identifier.thomsonID000339110400011
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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