Temporal analysis of biomass and carbon stocks in an ecosystem of pasture by using Landsat and its relationship with climatic factors

Abstract

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Good Practice Guidance (IPCC GPG), remote sensing techniques are suitable for the estimation of carbon sinks, through the estimation of above ground biomass. In this work we used a Landsat time series to estimate grass biomass in a wooded grassland ecosystem located Northeast Cáceres (Spain) from 1985 to 2010. From the results of the estimation of biomass, we analyzed the evolution of carbon stocks in grasslands. Field sampling of biomass were performed, as well as field spectroscopy, in four plots located within the study site for model calibration. Linear regression models between field data and spectral indices were applied for estimating biomass from Landsat data. EVI was the best index for biomass estimation (R2=0.79). A carbon fraction of 50% of the biomass was applied for the carbon stock estimation. The average values of biomass were found to be sensitive to extreme changes in time series of precipitation and temperature.

Revista Ciencias Espaciales, Volumen 8, Número 1 Primavera, 2015; 190-211