Estimating aboveground biomass in native forests using remote sensing data combined with spectral radiometry in Salta, Argentina

MANRIQUE, SILVINA; NUÑEZ, VIRGILIO; FRANCO, JUDITH

International Review of Geographical Information Science and Technology

Geofocus

Año: 2012 vol. 12 p. 349 - 373

1578-5157

The management of forests as carbon (C) reservoirs could be a valid strategy for mitigating global climate change. In Salta, Argentina, there is an urgent need for updated information on biomass stocks in order to assess the C sequestering and release made ​​by native forests. We studied three ecosystems (Chaco, Yungas and shrubland) by combining different data: a) field-estimated above-ground biomass (AGB); b) field-spectral data and c) spectral data from remote sensing. AGB was estimated through allometric equations. Radiometric measurements were synthesized into a set of spectral vegetation indices (VI). The satellite data was calibrated with those obtained through field radiometry, allowing us to find a predictive AGB model which indicates an AGB average of 85 ± 250 t.ha-1 for the center of the province of Salta. The model which was finally selected increases the level of estimate detail made ​​at the national level and will allow the monitoring of such data.