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| CO2 AND PLANTS | |||
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CO2 : We're producing too much of it Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. When plants 'exhale' and organic materials like fallen leaves and branches, etc. decompose on and in the soil, CO2 is released once again. The equilibrium between the absorption and discharge of CO2 is a major issue in the debate about reducing greenhouse gasses (The Framework Convention on climate changes, The Kyoto Protocol). The ever-growing greenhouse effect, after all, is partly explained by an increase in CO2 concentrations, primarily resulting from human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels. The determination and prediction of changes in the carbon absorption and discharge mechanisms of plants and vegetation thus form an important aspect of this Global Change problematic.
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 The carbon cycle Courtesy of "Fundamentals of Physical Geography" http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9r.html |
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The satellite records Ecosystem models and field measurements using measuring equipment are the traditional methods for determining the CO2- or carbon balance in afforested areas. The carbon balance is the difference between the absorption and the discharge or emission of carbon. However, local measurements only apply for a limited area. If we want to know the CO2 balance for a more extensive geographical area, for example Belgium, then these measurements must be calculated or extrapolated both in time and space from various local observations. In heterogeneous areas, therefore, accuracy is highly dependent on the number of measuring points. Remote sensing provides the necessary data for applying these processes on a larger scale, so that a spatial extrapolation technique becomes unnecessary. The computer
calculates That is why the VITO
(Vlaamse
Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek, the Flemish Institute for
Technological Research) developed the C-Fix model. This is a method
based on remote sensing for calculating the carbon balance of vegetation
for a specific geographical area. This model not only takes afforested
areas into account, it also determines the carbon balance for the
whole of Belgium and maps it out for all types of vegetation.
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