The early part of the twenty-first century has recorded the forest carbon loss increasing in the tropical regions. A remote sensing study to this effect was conducted that extensively used the vast collection of Landsat satellite images.
Forest cover change
Landsat 30 m spatial resolution data was aggregated yearly to determine forest cover change. This dataset is readily available with the tag name Global Forest Cover. This dataset has a track record of forest cover losses occurring across the globe. These losses may be due to the natural cause or anthropogenic cause.
Forest carbon loss
Determining the forest carbon loss is an essential part of calculating the global carbon budget. Specifically, forests are a part of carbon sinks and sources on land.
Deforestation leads to two significant types of losses concerning carbon budget:
– Direct loss of carbon that is stored in vegetation and soil
– Loss of carbon sinking potential of terrestrial ecosystems
Satellite data was used to determine the magnitude of loss with regional trajectories and further determine the associated drivers responsible for the loss. It was found that large scale commodity activities and small scale agricultural activities are the drivers of forest carbon loss.
Reference:
Feng, Y., Zeng, Z., Searchinger, T.D. et al. Doubling of annual forest carbon loss over the tropics during the early twenty-first century. Nat Sustain (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00854-3
