1. Australian Activities1. Australian Activities2. GEO Task on Forest Mapping and Carbon Tracking2. GEO Task on Forest Mapping and Carbon Tracking

Alex Held - CSIRO

Jena, October 13 2008

OutlineOutline

• Current National Carbon Accounting System

• International Activities – IFCI (GCMS)• Forest & Carbon Task under the GEOSS

Framework

The National Carbon Accounting System The National Carbon Accounting System –– (NCAS): (NCAS): FeaturesFeatures

Initiated in 1999, the Australian NCAS accounts for activities such as livestock and crop production, land clearing and forestry, through a highly integrated system that combines:

1.Remotely sensed land cover change (16 time-steps of national Landsat mosaics since 1972)

2.Land use and management data 3.Climate and soil data 4.Greenhouse gas accounting tools, and 5.Spatial and temporal ecosystem modelling

NCAS LandNCAS Land--cover Change Mappingcover Change Mapping(Source P. Caccetta (Source P. Caccetta -- CSIRO)CSIRO)

• 16 time-steps of Landsat MSS, TM and ETM+ data are used to monitor land clearing and revegetation from 1972 to 2008

• All data is calibrated to a common geographic, topographic and spectral base.

• Advanced statistical techniques compare and validate changes in individual pixels, and eliminate false change

• Aerial photographs, hi-res satellite images and field data to verify changes detected by 25 m resolution satellite imagery

• AVHRR and MODIS NDVI time series data provide background information for productivity modelling and land use mapping

• Investigating SAR data analysis methodologies

NCAS (2)NCAS (2)

Carbon Stocks AccountingCarbon Stocks Accounting

NCAS(3): Ecosystem ModelNCAS(3): Ecosystem Model

NCAS Reporting ToolsNCAS Reporting Tools

Spatially Explicit Accounts

International Forest Carbon InitiativeInternational Forest Carbon Initiative

• Primary focus is on developing practical demonstration activities in our region, particularly in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

• Increase international forest carbon monitoring and accounting capacity by demonstrating that forests can be monitored effectively through advanced remote sensing,

• Development of market based approaches to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation,

• Assisting with the development of necessary underpinnings for sustainable forest management, governance, law enforcement and regulatory frameworks in these countries.

Activities to Date• Papua New Guinea – Australia

Forest Carbon Partnership• Kalimantan Forests and Climate

Partnership• Bilateral package of support to

Indonesia on forests and climate• Research partnership on reducing

emissions from deforestation• Partnership with the Clinton

Climate Initiative on carbon monitoring

• World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility

• Asia Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building Program

IFCI is Australia’s contribution to global actions to address deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and to establish the necessary systems and financial mechanisms and ensure long term emission reductions.

Features of a Features of a ““Global Carbon Measurement Global Carbon Measurement SystemSystem”” -- GCMSGCMS

Multinational, multi-agency partnership involving governments, NGOs and private sector

Anticipated System Elements:• WebGIS delivery tool for free, open access to forest cover change

monitoring data• Wall-to-wall, annual mapping of all land-use changes at ~ 25-30 m

resolution world-wide over last ~10 years (ie to avoid ‘leakage’)Establishment of global satellite database, 10-15 year layers: optical & SAR Promote coordinated and systematic global satellite observation strategy via GEO & CEOS

• Application of per-pixel land-use change mapping methods • Work with countries and coordinating bodies to establish regional

demonstrator sites and forest carbon verification projects (incl. Asia, Africa, South America)

TimeTime--series Classifications, Manaus, Brazilseries Classifications, Manaus, Brazil(Source (Source R.LucasR.Lucas))

© JAXA/METI

© JAXA/METI

Multi-annual tracking of forest- and carbon changes

ALOS KC7

HH/HV/HH-HV CompositeHH/HV/HH-HV CompositeSource: J. Kellendorfer)

“Forest Carbon Tracking”

A New GEO Task in WP 2009-2011

Policy Context & Technical Challenge

• Response to urgent call for action by G8 (July 2008) .. “ to accelerate efforts to strengthen observation, prediction and data sharing within GEOSS and the development of an international forest monitoring network building on existing initiatives”

• Demonstrate that coordinated Earth Observations can provide the basis for reliable information services of suitable consistency, increased accuracy and continuity, for use in integration of remote sensing data, in-situ forest inventory information and carbon budget models into global carbon accounting schemes.

• Provide confidence to UN negotiators and the carbon cycle science community of long-term continuity of observing systems and analysis/validation methodologies

Proposed Activities

Building on existing activities:• Establishment of regional pilot sites, to demonstrate

capability in support of user and climate policy needs • Consolidation of satellite observational requirements

and associated products • Coordination of observations (Optical & SAR), including

securing their continuity• Coordinated assessment of analysis tools and carbon

estimation methodologies • Coordination of the production of reference datasets

for accuracy assessments and validation • Improve access to observations, datasets, tools and

expertise and associated Capacity Building activities• Promote ongoing R&D into refinement of

satellite/airborne mapping methodologies for verification and forest degradation mapping (ie. multi-sensor fusion - hyperspectral + Lidar+ radar)

Status• Version 1 distributed for comment July 2008•Presented at CEOS SIT Meeting•Incorporating feedback from CEOS agencies into Version 2•Showcase at GOFC-GOLD and Brazil Forest Symposia, & gather feedback and involvement by interested parties•Formally present at CEOS Plenary – South Africa –November 15•Include final version in GEO WorkPlan for 2009-2011, for endorsement by GEO Plenary in Late November 2008•Initiate coordination of test site activities and data acquisitions - December 2008•Several regional workshops on coordination for data access, methodologies, in-situ validation, etc. from January 2009.•Show initial results June 2009

Thank youThank you

1. Australian Activities�2. GEO Task on Forest Mapping and Carbon Tracking�OutlineThe National Carbon Accounting System – (NCAS): FeaturesNCAS Land-cover Change Mapping� (Source P. Caccetta - CSIRO)NCAS (2)Carbon Stocks AccountingNCAS(3): Ecosystem ModelNCAS Reporting ToolsInternational Forest Carbon InitiativeFeatures of a “Global Carbon Measurement System” - GCMSTime-series Classifications, Manaus, Brazil�(Source R.Lucas)HH/HV/HH-HV Composite“Forest Carbon Tracking”Policy Context & Technical Challenge Proposed Activities