Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7719-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7719-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
FineKarstAGB: a 30 m resolution aboveground biomass dataset for Southwest China derived by upscaling plot-level inventory using sub-meter GaoFen satellite data
Yixiang Li
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Zhengchao Chen
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Caixia Liu
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xuan Yang
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiaowei Tong
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Karst Ecological Processes and Services, Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang 547100, Guangxi, China
Martin Brandt
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Zhaoming Wu
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Zeqing Wang
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Huaming Gao
State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Xiaoyi Wang
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Sizhuo Li
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Xin Xu
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Siyu Liu
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6189, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6189, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Observation (EO).
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Despite the recent strong reduction in European forest carbon uptake, a comparison of EU forest carbon losses from different datasets is still lacking. We quantify these carbon sink losses combining new high-resolution Earth Observation estimates of forest disturbance, EO-based bookkeeping models, atmospheric CO2 inversions, and National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGI). We highlight how EO and NGHGIs can benefit each other in better quantifying C losses in a comprehensive and timely manner.
Carl Stadie, Ingmar Nitze, Begüm Demir, Martin Stefan Brandt, and Guido Grosse
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4074, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4074, 2026
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Driftwood piles up along Arctic coasts, storing carbon and shaping habitats, but mapping it automatically is difficult. We compared three artificial intelligence models on aerial photos and satellite images, repeating each test many times to capture natural training variation. Image resolution mattered far more than which model was used, and testing only once, as is common, gave misleading results. Our approach offers a more reliable way to choose mapping tools for similar Arctic features.
Rachel Nubwimana, Martin Brandt, Philippe Ciais, Maurice Mugabowindekwe, Sizhuo Li, Andrew Davies, Dimitri Gominski, Rasmus Fensholt, Sassan Saatchi, and Fabian Gieseke
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2924, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2924, 2026
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Trees outside forests; in savannas, farmlands, and drylands are largely invisible in global carbon maps. We developed a model that learns to spot trees in satellite photos and estimate how much carbon they store, trained only on rough existing maps without any manual labeling. Our maps turned out far more accurate than the maps it learned from, showing that smarter analysis of satellite imagery can reveal the hidden carbon stored in the world's overlooked trees.
Jinan Shi, Jiaxin Li, Lianru Gao, Siyu Liu, Rasmus Fensholt, Philippe Ciais, Xiaojun Li, Qiangqiang Yuan, Jean-Pierre Wigneron, and Lei Fan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-193, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-193, 2026
Revised manuscript under review for ESSD
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Satellite microwaves help monitor global vegetation, but existing data is too coarse.We enhanced it using higher-resolution information from a biomass map. This produced monthly 5-kilometer resolution data of tropical vegetation optical depth from 2015 to 2021. Our results show the enhanced data accurately captures vegetation dynamics and detects forest disturbances like clearing. By providing this finer-scale dataset, our work supports better local monitoring and protection of ecosystems.
Pengchao Zhang, Yi Luo, Dan Liu, Xiaoyi Wang, and Tao Wang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 5557–5570, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5557-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5557-2025, 2025
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We present the first continuous reconstruction of vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau, spanning from the last deglaciation to the preindustrial era. Using fossil pollen records and statistical models, we mapped changes across space and time. The dataset shows how forests, grasslands, and alpine ecosystems shifted over millennia, offering insights into past climate–vegetation interactions and improving future climate and land-use research.
Dan Gao, Xiaofang Wu, Zhijin Wen, Yue Xu, and Zhengchao Chen
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., X-1-2024, 83–90, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-1-2024-83-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-1-2024-83-2024, 2024
Chong Liu, Xiaoqing Xu, Xuejie Feng, Xiao Cheng, Caixia Liu, and Huabing Huang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 133–153, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-133-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-133-2023, 2023
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Rapid Arctic changes are increasingly influencing human society, both locally and globally. Land cover offers a basis for characterizing the terrestrial world, yet spatially detailed information on Arctic land cover is lacking. We employ multi-source data to develop a new land cover map for the circumpolar Arctic. Our product reveals regionally contrasting biome distributions not fully documented in existing studies and thus enhances our understanding of the Arctic’s terrestrial system.
M. C. A. Picoli, J. Radoux, X. Tong, A. Bey, P. Rufin, M. Brandt, R. Fensholt, and P. Meyfroidt
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLIII-B3-2022, 975–981, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-975-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-975-2022, 2022
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Short summary
Southwest China has become an important carbon stock due to extensive forest restoration, yet existing biomass datasets are limited in highly heterogeneous landscapes. We developed a fine-grained 30 m aboveground biomass dataset in Southwest China using sub-meter GaoFen imagery and forest structural information. The dataset captures fine-scale spatial heterogeneity, includes trees outside forests, and provides support for regional carbon accounting and restoration efficacy assessment.
Southwest China has become an important carbon stock due to extensive forest restoration, yet...
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