e360 digest

22 Jul 2010: New NASA Map Illustrates
Height of Global Forest Canopies

Scientists have compiled the first map detailing the height of forests worldwide, an inventory they hope will provide new insights into global carbon storage. The map — compiled from data collected over seven years using NASA satellite laser technology that can measure vertical “slices” of different tree heights in forests — shows that the tallest forests on Earth are in the Pacific Northwest of North America and across parts of Southeast Asia. Shorter forests predominate across northern Canada and Eurasia. The tallest canopies are found in temperate conifer forests, which include Douglas fir, redwoods, and sequoias, and can easily reach 131 feet (40 meters) in height; some California redwoods are more than 300 feet tall. In contrast, boreal forests — which include spruce, fir, larch, and pine — have canopies that are typically less than 66 feet. NASA scientists hope the map will help them determine how much of the world’s carbon is stored in forests; which types of forest absorb more carbon than others; where some 2 billion tons of “missing” carbon released by humans annually ends up; and how well the planet can continue to absorb rising CO2 emissions.

Yale Environment 360 is
a publication of the
Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies.

SEARCH e360

CONNECT

Twitter: YaleE360
e360 on Facebook
Donate to e360
View mobile site
Bookmark
Share e360
Email newsletter
Subscribe to our feed:

ABOUT

About e360
Contact
Submission Guidelines
Reprints

e360 PHOTO GALLERY

South African photojournalist Adam Welz documents the harrowing relocation of six white rhinos to a region that has lost all its rhinos to poaching. View the gallery.

DEPARTMENTS

Opinion
Reports
Analysis
Interviews
e360 Digest
Podcasts
Video Reports

TOPICS

Biodiversity
Business & Innovation
Climate
Energy
Forests
Oceans
Policy & Politics
Pollution & Health
Science & Technology
Sustainability
Urbanization
Water

REGIONS

Antarctica and the Arctic
Africa
Asia
Australia
Central & South America
Europe
Middle East
North America

e360 VIDEO

A Yale Environment 360 video explores Ecuador’s threatened Yasuni Biosphere Reserve with scientists inventorying its stunning forests and wildlife. Watch the video.

e360 MOBILE

The latest
from Yale
Environment 360 is now available for mobile devices at e360.yale.edu/mobile.

e360 VIDEO

In a Yale Environment 360 video, photographer Pete McBride documents how increasing water demands have transformed the Colorado River, the lifeblood of the arid Southwest. Watch the video.




Top Image: aerial view of Iceland. © Google & TerraMetrics.

e360 VIDEO

The Warriors of Qiugang, a Yale Environment 360 video that chronicles the story of a Chinese village’s fight against a polluting chemical plant, was nominated for a 2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Watch the video.

OF INTEREST