Siberian Mapping Project

The purpose of the Siberian Mapping Project is to improve forest cover maps and create above ground biomass maps of the Siberian boreal forest. The project is aimed at improving forest disturbance detection methods, studying the tundra-taiga ecotone, differentiating between natural and human-caused disturbance mechanism and mapping boreal forest structure using the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite data. The boreal forest in the Earth's largest terrestrial biome, covering some 12 million square km and accounting for about one third of this planet's total forest areas. Mapping of boreal forest's type, biomass, and other structural parameters are critical for understanding the boreal forest's significance in the carbon cycle, its response to and impact on global climate change. [Summary provided by NASA.]