Why in News
The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch its ambitious Biomass satellite mission in April 2025. This mission aims to provide the most comprehensive global measurements of forest biomass ever undertaken. It will help monitor carbon storage in forests, enhance our understanding of the carbon cycle, and contribute to climate change science.
Introduction
Forests play a pivotal role in maintaining the Earth’s ecological balance. They act as carbon sinks by storing vast amounts of carbon in their trees and soil. However, with growing deforestation and climate change, understanding the biomass of forests — essentially the total mass of living trees and plants — becomes critical.
The Biomass mission, developed under ESA’s Earth Explorer programme, will use a special radar-equipped satellite to map and monitor forests. It aims to provide valuable data on:
- Carbon storage in trees,
- Forest health and degradation, and
- 3D imaging of forests from canopy to roots.
Key Takeaways – Point-Wise Summary
- Purpose of the Biomass Mission
- To map the world’s forests using advanced space technology.
- To provide the first comprehensive global measurements of forest biomass.
- To improve understanding of:
- How forests are changing.
- How they contribute to the carbon cycle.
- Launch and Satellite Details
- The satellite will be launched on April 29, 2025.
- It will be carried aboard a Vega C rocket from ESA’s Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
- It will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit (i.e., it passes over the same part of Earth at the same local solar time daily) at an altitude of 666 km.
- Understanding the Carbon Cycle
- Carbon is essential to life but needs to be balanced in Earth’s system.
- Forests play a huge role by storing carbon in their biomass (branches, roots, trunks).
- Scientists estimate forests absorb around 16 billion metric tons of CO₂ every year.
- Biomass Loss and Climate Crisis
- 2023 saw the loss of 3.7 million hectares of tropical forests — equivalent to losing one football field of forest every 6 seconds.
- This loss released approximately 6.7 billion tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
- This intensifies global warming and climate change.
- The Satellite’s Technology
- The satellite uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to scan Earth’s surface.
- It will be the first in space to use long-wave P-band SAR, enabling it to:
- Penetrate dense forest canopies.
- Measure carbon stored on the floor, branches, and roots.
- Generate 3D images of forests.
- The radar will have a 12-meter antenna, making it highly accurate.
- What Will It Achieve?
- The mission will generate digital 3D maps of forests, including those in Antarctica.
- It will assess how much carbon is stored and how that is changing over time.
- It will help weigh the carbon content of Earth’s forests.
- Provide vital data for policymakers, scientists, and climate action organizations.
- Quotes and Comments
- Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation, said the mission is crucial to know the health of tropical forests.
- She emphasized the need to track:
- The diversity of vegetation.
- The amount of carbon stored.
- Generate 3D images from canopy to roots.
- Shaun Quegan, researcher from Sheffield University, said the mission will help:
- Understand how much forests weigh.
- Estimate carbon balance — what is absorbed by forests vs. released into the atmosphere.
- Part of the Earth Explorer Programme
- Biomass is the 7th mission under ESA’s Earth Explorer Programme.
- The programme aims to understand the Earth’s systems, including:
- Cryosphere (frozen parts),
- Hydrosphere (water bodies),
- Atmosphere, and
- Land surface.
- Previous notable missions:
- GOCE (2009-2013): Studied ocean circulation and Earth’s interior.
- Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (2024): Focused on climate and radiative balance.
Glossary of Key Terms (Notes for CLAT Aspirants)
Term | Explanation |
Biomass | Total mass of living organisms in a given area — especially trees and plants in a forest. |
Carbon Cycle | The process of exchange of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living beings. |
CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) | A greenhouse gas. Too much of it in the atmosphere leads to global warming. |
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | A form of radar that creates high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface. |
P-band Radar | A radar signal with long wavelength, capable of penetrating deep forest canopies. |
Sun-synchronous Orbit | A satellite orbit where it passes over the same Earth region at the same local solar time every day. |
Earth Explorer Programme | A set of ESA missions aimed at studying different aspects of Earth’s climate and systems. |
3D Imaging | Capturing three-dimensional models of forests — from canopy tops to root systems. |
Relevance for CLAT Aspirants
This topic is highly relevant for:
- GK/Current Affairs: Focus on climate change, space tech, and international missions.
- Science & Technology: Use of radar, carbon cycle, and forest monitoring.
- Legal Reasoning: Environmental policy, climate laws, and global climate action (e.g., Paris Agreement).
- Passage-Based Questions: Ideal for reading comprehension and current affairs integration in CLAT pattern.
Conclusion
The ESA Biomass Mission is a scientific milestone in environmental monitoring, aiming to accurately map and assess forest biomass globally. It will aid in understanding forest health, carbon storage, and climate change dynamics. For CLAT aspirants, this topic is rich in interdisciplinary relevance, blending science, environment, global cooperation, and policy application — all of which are crucial areas in the CLAT GK and comprehension sections.
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