 |
|
First datasets for national biomass and carbon dataset now available
February 15, 2008Scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center working to produce the "National Biomass and Carbon Dataset" for the year 2000 (NBCD2000) are releasing data from nine project mapping zones. All NBCD2000 data products are being made available for download on a zone-by-zone basis and free of charge from the NBCD2000 project website located at www.whrc.org/nbcd.
Through a combination of NASA satellite datasets, topographic survey data, land use/land cover information, and extensive forest inventory data collected by the USDA Forest Service - Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA), NBCD2000 will provide an invaluable baseline for quantifying the carbon stock in U.S. forests and will improve current methods of assessing the carbon flux between forests and the atmosphere.
According to Dr. Josef Kellndorfer, an associate scientist at the Center and project leader, "The availability of a high resolution dataset containing estimates of forest biomass and associated carbon stock is an important step forward in enabling researchers to better understand the North American carbon balance."
As part of the NBCD2000 initiative, begun in 2005 and funded by NASA's Earth Science Program with additional support from the USGS/LANDFIRE, mapping is being conducted within 67 ecologically diverse regions, termed "mapping zones", which span the conterminous United States. Of the nine completed zones, 5 were finished during a 2-year pilot phase. Work on the remaining zones will be completed at a rate of roughly one zone every seven days. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2009.
Wayne Walker, a research associate at the Center who is also working on the project adds, "The data sets that are now available should be of interest to natural resource managers across the U.S. For the first time, high resolution estimates of vegetation canopy height and biomass are being produced consistently for the entire conterminous U.S."
Within each mapping zone data from the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission are combined with topographic survey data from the National Elevation Dataset (NED) to produce a radar-based map of vegetation canopy height. Subsequently, the map is used to generate estimates of actual vegetation height, biomass, and carbon stock using survey data from the U.S. Forest Service - FIA program and ancillary data sets from the National Land Cover Database 2001 (NLCD2001) project. The NLCD2001 data layers are crucial inputs to the NBCD2000 project as they provide land cover and canopy density information used in the stratification/calibration process.
Diane Wickland, the program manager for NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program, comments,
"Because this is the first systematic, regional-scale study that uses radar data to quantify carbon storage in vegetation, the end result will not only provide valuable information on how well we can do with existing data, but will allow us to see how we might improve and refine requirements for future, more capable missions like DESDynI, which has been recommended by the National Research Council Decadal Survey on Earth Observation."
Woods Hole Research Center
As part of the NBCD2000 initiative, begun in 2005 and funded by NASA's Earth Science Program with additional support from the USGS/LANDFIRE, mapping is being conducted within 67 ecologically diverse regions, termed "mapping zones", which span the conterminous United States. Of the nine completed zones, 5 were finished during a 2-year pilot phase. Work on the remaining zones will be completed at a rate of roughly one zone every seven days. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2009.
Wayne Walker, a research associate at the Center who is also working on the project adds, "The data sets that are now available should be of interest to natural resource managers across the U.S. For the first time, high resolution estimates of vegetation canopy height and biomass are being produced consistently for the entire conterminous U.S."
Within each mapping zone data from the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission are combined with topographic survey data from the National Elevation Dataset (NED) to produce a radar-based map of vegetation canopy height. Subsequently, the map is used to generate estimates of actual vegetation height, biomass, and carbon stock using survey data from the U.S. Forest Service - FIA program and ancillary data sets from the National Land Cover Database 2001 (NLCD2001) project. The NLCD2001 data layers are crucial inputs to the NBCD2000 project as they provide land cover and canopy density information used in the stratification/calibration process.
Diane Wickland, the program manager for NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program, comments,
"Because this is the first systematic, regional-scale study that uses radar data to quantify carbon storage in vegetation, the end result will not only provide valuable information on how well we can do with existing data, but will allow us to see how we might improve and refine requirements for future, more capable missions like DESDynI, which has been recommended by the National Research Council Decadal Survey on Earth Observation."
Woods Hole Research Center
Biomass Current Events and Biomass News RSSDelft breakthrough in bioethanol production from agricultural waste
With the introduction of a single bacterial gene into yeast, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands achieved three improvements in bioethanol production from agricultural waste material: 'More ethanol, less acetate and elimination of the major by-product glycerol' This week the invention was published in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol
Surplus biomass from the production of flax shives, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol.
Scientists unlock clues for tailoring corn plant for food, energy needs
Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn.
Maize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research
Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production.
UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
Organic weed control options for highbush blueberry
Research scientists at Nova Scotia Agricultural College have been working steadily to find effective organic methods to control weeds in cultivated blueberry crops.
North Atlantic Fish Populations Shifting as Ocean Temperatures Warm
About half of 36 fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the last four decades, with some stocks nearly disappearing from U.S. waters as they move farther offshore, according to a new study by NOAA researchers.
UC Riverside Researchers Create First Synthetic Cellulosome in Yeast
A team of researchers led by University of California, Riverside (UCR) Professor of Chemical Engineering Wilfred Chen has constructed for the first time a synthetic cellulosome in yeast, which is much more ethanol-tolerant than the bacteria in which these structures are normally found.
Miscounting bioenergy benefits may increase greenhouse gas release
A fixable error in the way carbon is counted in current U.S. climate legislation and in the Kyoto Protocol could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using biofuels, says a premier group of national environmental and land use scientists.
Advance in 'nano-agriculture': Tiny stuff has huge effect on plant growth
With potential adverse health and environmental effects often in the news about nanotechnology, scientists in Arkansas are reporting that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could have beneficial effects in agriculture.
More Biomass Current Events and Biomass News Articles
 |
The Biomass Assessment Handbook: Bioenergy for a Sustainable Environment by Frank Rosillo-Calle (Editor), Peter de Groot (Editor), Sarah L. Hemstock (Editor), Jeremy Woods (Editor) Responding to the need for reliable and detailed information on biomass consumption and supply and overcoming the lack of standardized measurement and accounting procedures, this handbook provides the skills to understand the biomass resource base and the tools to assess the resource and the pros and cons of exploitation. Topics covered include assessment methods for woody and herbaceous biomass, biomass supply and consumption, and remote sensing techniques. International case studies, ranging from techniques for measuring tree volume to transporting biomass, help to illustrate step-by-step methods and are based on fieldwork experience. A set of technical appendices offer a glossary of terms, energy units, and other valuable reference data. The Biomass Assessment Handbook will... |
 |
Biomass and Alternate Fuel Systems: An Engineering and Economic Guide by Thomas F. McGowan (Editor), Michael L. Brown (Editor), William S. Bulpitt (Editor), James L. Walsh Jr. (Editor) This book explains characteristics of renewable fuels, especially biomass and wood, and the cost-effective and environment-friendly methods of handling, storing and burning these fuels. It is complete with the economic evaluation method, introduction of the pollution control equipment for limiting the emission from fuel combustion, case studies, and costs and carbon emission comparisons between conventional and alternate fuels. Many case studies are introduced here too. This book is an update and expansion of the "Industrial Wood Energy Handbook" by a team from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1984. It introduces new technologies new technologies not available at the time of the early version. |
 |
The Handbook of Biomass Combustion and Co-firing by Sjaak van Loo (Editor), Jaap Koppejan (Editor) Prepared under the auspices of the IEA Bioenergy Research Programme, this unique handbook presents both the theory and applications of biomass combustion and cofiring, from basic principles to industrial combustion and environmental impact, in a clear and comprehensive manner. It offers a solid grounding on biomass combustion and advice on improving combustion systems. Written by leading international academics and industrial experts, it is an essential resource for anyone interested in biomass combustion and co-firing technologies varying from domestic woodstoves to utility scale power generation. The book covers subjects including biomass fuel pre-treatment and logistics, modelling the combustion process, concepts for co-firing biomass with coal and includes an overview of... |
 |
Introduction to Chemicals from Biomass (Wiley Series in Renewable Resource) by James H. Clark (Editor), Fabien Deswarte (Editor) |
 |
Energy from Biomass: A Review of Combustion and Gasification Technologies (World Bank Technical Paper) by Hubert E Stassen (Author), Peter Quaak (Author), Harrie Knoef (Author) While energy is essential for development, standard fossil fuels are often in short supply in countries where it is needed most. However, alternative fuel resources abound in the form of agricultural and municipal waste or "biomass." This report reviews the state of the art of biomass combustion and gassification systems, their advantages and disadvantages. It also encourages investment in use of these technologies to enable developing countries to better exploit their biomass resources and help close the gap between their energy needs and their energy supply. |
 |
Biomass for Renewable Energy, Fuels, and Chemicals by Donald L. Klass (Author) Biomass for Renewable Energy, Fuels, and Chemicals serves as a comprehensive introduction to the subject for the student and educator, and is useful for researchers who are interested in the technical details of biomass energy production. The coverage and discussion are multidisciplinary, reflecting the many scientific and engineering disciplines involved. The book will appeal to a broad range of energy professionals and specialists, farmers and foresters who are searching for methods of selecting, growing, and converting energy crops, entrepreneurs who are commercializing biomass energy projects, and those involved in designing solid and liquid waste disposal-energy recovery systems. Key Features * Presents a graduated treatment from basic... |
 |
Biomass: Fueling Change (Energy Revolution) by Niki Walker (Author) Ages 9 to 12 years. This is an exciting new book that explores bioenergy, which is energy derived from organic matter, to produce heat, run cars, and generate electricity. |
 |
Sustainable Ethanol: Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence by Jeffrey Goettemoeller (Author), Adrian Goettemoeller (Author) Sustainable Ethanol goes beyond the headlines, uncovering the benefits and limitations of North America's fuel ethanol industry. Ethanol production and use are becoming more efficient and less reliant on fossil fuel inputs. Learn about the technologies making ethanol make sense for our environment, economy, and security. Discover how the end of cheap oil is providing an opening for biofuels; how some cars get better fuel economy on 10% ethanol compared to ethanol-free gasoline; how the next generation of flex-fuel and hybrid electric vehicles could be optimized to get much better fuel economy on ethanol; how North America can produce significant quantities of biofuels without damaging our food production capacity; how sustainable farming methods are reducing ethanol's reliance on... |
 |
Biomass Power (Energy Sources) by Neil Morris (Author) A detailed look at energy sources, how their power is harnessed and used. |
|
Biomass Farmer & User by Home Grown Energy/G Macpherson |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |