Land trust partners with NASA to curb climate change
The accredited Land Trust of North Alabama recently partnered with NASA DEVELOP and other groups to conduct a study of carbon dioxide emissions in Alabama and Tennessee that could be linked to deforestation.
Known as the “Rocket City,” Huntsville, Alabama, is home to Marshall Space Flight Center, one of NASA’s largest facilities for developing state-of-the-art technology for America’s space program.
Lesser known, but just as critical, are NASA’s research projects through DEVELOP to empower communities and organizations to make informed decisions about the environment. Part of the agency’s Applied Sciences Program, DEVELOP supports projects that help partners address environmental concerns and learn more about using geospatial information.
The accredited Land Trust of North Alabama recently partnered with NASA DEVELOP and other groups to conduct a study of carbon dioxide emissions in Alabama and Tennessee that could be linked to deforestation. Forests draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and accumulate carbon in tree biomass and soil over time, but forest loss releases the stored carbon back to the atmosphere.
The study analyzed carbon dioxide emission trends and tested methods to measure forest cover loss from 2016 to 2019. The team found that the carbon dioxide estimates generated using the National Land Cover Database and NASA's GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) estimates were the most accurate. The study determined that 40,653,060 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be directly attributed to deforestation in Alabama and Tennessee.
The study also identified the areas of the two states with the highest levels of those emissions. The information, along with the methodology developed to attain it, will be invaluable for helping policymakers determine where and how to direct efforts to bring emissions under control.
Learn more at develop.larc.nasa.gov/projects.php.