1 00:00:02,869 --> 00:00:04,504 In the entire universe, 2 00:00:04,504 --> 00:00:08,375 we know with certainty of just one place that is teeming with life. 3 00:00:09,876 --> 00:00:11,311 Earth. 4 00:00:11,311 --> 00:00:15,749 Separating life on earth from the rest of the cosmos is our atmosphere. 5 00:00:15,749 --> 00:00:19,953 A thin layer of invisible gases surrounding our planet like a blanket. 6 00:00:20,587 --> 00:00:24,024 When fossil fuels, like oil, gas and coal are burned, 7 00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:27,260 releasing carbon dioxide molecules into the atmosphere, 8 00:00:27,260 --> 00:00:30,330 this blanket traps heat that would otherwise escape. 9 00:00:30,330 --> 00:00:33,333 This blanket effect is warming the planet 10 00:00:33,333 --> 00:00:36,302 and disrupting the balance that keeps our climate stable. 11 00:00:37,037 --> 00:00:40,774 Carbon dioxide molecules can stay in the atmosphere for centuries, 12 00:00:40,774 --> 00:00:43,810 slowly but steadily warming the planet. 13 00:00:44,611 --> 00:00:48,681 The natural world plays a critical role in slowing climate change. 14 00:00:48,681 --> 00:00:52,886 Every year, about half of human caused carbon dioxide emissions 15 00:00:52,886 --> 00:00:56,790 are absorbed by oceans and the world's vegetation, including crops... 16 00:00:57,290 --> 00:00:58,425 and trees. 17 00:00:59,025 --> 00:00:59,826 Carbon 18 00:00:59,826 --> 00:01:02,896 is an element that is in the air, mainly as carbon dioxide. 19 00:01:02,896 --> 00:01:05,565 Trees consume this carbon dioxide. 20 00:01:05,565 --> 00:01:09,235 They eat it as food and they store it as wood. 21 00:01:09,235 --> 00:01:13,039 And 50% of what you see in a tree in a forest is carbon. 22 00:01:13,606 --> 00:01:16,042 And that's carbon that if it weren't in the tree, 23 00:01:16,042 --> 00:01:19,012 forests were cut down and that wood decomposed, 24 00:01:19,012 --> 00:01:22,048 that carbon would end up back in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. 25 00:01:22,048 --> 00:01:24,350 And it's by measuring trees. 26 00:01:24,350 --> 00:01:29,355 over the long term we can actually detect this changes in carbon and biodiversity. 27 00:01:29,355 --> 00:01:33,660 We want to get a global picture of the amount of carbon that's stored in forests. 28 00:01:33,660 --> 00:01:38,465 And so what we're doing in GEO-TREES is building a global network that maps, 29 00:01:38,465 --> 00:01:43,670 monitors and measures forest carbon, then making that available to the world. 30 00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:57,817 NASA, 31 00:01:57,817 --> 00:02:01,454 using airborne and satellite data, also looks at how forest 32 00:02:01,454 --> 00:02:05,492 changes impact carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. 33 00:02:05,692 --> 00:02:09,462 With these data, we create sophisticated models and data sets 34 00:02:09,462 --> 00:02:14,801 that help us track how carbon moves through the atmosphere, land and oceans. 35 00:02:14,801 --> 00:02:20,340 Together, we are getting a better understanding of the global carbon cycle. 36 00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:24,511 Covering the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 37 00:02:24,511 --> 00:02:29,883 NASA collects data on carbon dioxide concentrations and forest ecosystems. 38 00:02:29,883 --> 00:02:33,353 But with all of this data, there is still more to learn. 39 00:02:34,187 --> 00:02:37,423 Forests look different from space, essentially from satellites. 40 00:02:37,423 --> 00:02:38,458 So it's really important 41 00:02:38,458 --> 00:02:42,295 to have data that spans this range of variation across forests. 42 00:02:42,295 --> 00:02:46,232 If we're going to be able to build good models to predict forest carbon 43 00:02:46,232 --> 00:02:47,567 from satellite data. 44 00:02:47,567 --> 00:02:52,005 The core idea of GEO-TREES is to provide this biomass reference system 45 00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:53,606 for forests globally. 46 00:02:53,606 --> 00:02:57,644 That reference system is extremely valuable to the Earth observation 47 00:02:57,644 --> 00:03:02,682 community for calibrating and validating their earth observations from satellites. 48 00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:07,820 It's also a really important baseline for monitoring change in forest carbon 49 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:12,825 stocks, modeling the future of forest carbon stocks for carbon markets 50 00:03:12,825 --> 00:03:17,430 where individuals, countries, jurisdictions want to quantify 51 00:03:17,430 --> 00:03:21,434 the amount of carbon and therefore carbon dollars in their forests. 52 00:03:22,802 --> 00:03:26,973 It is important for the permanent Amacayacu plot to be part of this global network 53 00:03:26,973 --> 00:03:33,713 first because it permits us to compare our results to previous research 54 00:03:33,713 --> 00:03:36,649 with many other plots around the world, 55 00:03:36,649 --> 00:03:41,688 many different ecosystems because we know the methods of measurements are standardized. 56 00:03:42,889 --> 00:03:45,625 The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere 57 00:03:45,625 --> 00:03:48,828 is increasing and warming our planet. 58 00:03:48,828 --> 00:03:52,865 Ground based measurements are critical for demonstrating to communities 59 00:03:52,865 --> 00:03:58,238 all over the world that they can rely on satellite data in their decision making. 60 00:03:58,238 --> 00:04:02,208 This data is free and open to all so that everyone, 61 00:04:02,208 --> 00:04:06,579 researchers, businesses, governments can make informed decisions 62 00:04:06,579 --> 00:04:11,651 to better manage our resources for this and future generations.