Carbon budget estimation in Central Amazonia: successional forest modelling from remote sensing data
Till
Neeff, University of Freiburg, INPE, tillneeff@fulbrightweb.org
Paulo
M
Graça, INPA, INPE, pgraca@ltid.inpe.br
Luciano
V
Dutra, INPE, dutra@dpi.inpe.br
Corina
C
Freitas, INPE, corina@dpi.inpe.br
Liana
O
Anderson, INPE, liana@ltid.inpe.br
(Presenting)
The carbon budget resulting from dynamics of forest vegetation is estimated spatially for a study region with intensive landuse change in the Central Amazon forest. A digital model from airborne SAR interferometry describes vegetation height, and is used along with an established relationship between forest height and age to map the successional stages of vegetation. Biomass stocks and annual rates of increment in biomass can be attributed to the forest ages by a comprehensive growth model for forests in the study area. A conceptual model of landuse change for the deforestation zones in Amazonia is developed and applied to the study area. Four different types of landuse are accounted for: primary forest, secondary forest, degraded forest and nonforest. The transition probabilities between those landuse types are described from internal modelling of available data, from literature sources, and from large-scale remote sensing results. The transition probabilities, the areas of forest successional stages from forest age mapping, and the expected carbon dynamics yield a spatialized estimate of net committed emissions in the study area. For the year 2000-2001 the carbon balance is negative, on an area of 5,714 ha, landuse dynamics resulted in a release of 15,986 t of carbon, mainly arising from the cutting of primary forest for agricultural purposes. The secondary forest carbon budget is almost balanced, and forest degradation revealed to be less important.
Submetido por Till Neeff em 18-MAR-2004
Tema Científico do LBA: LC (Mudanças dos Usos da Terra e da Vegetação)