File:SIR-C X-SAR Raco, Michigan biomass map.jpg

English: (P-43923)

A biomass map of Raco, Michigan area, centered around 46 degrees north latitude and 85 degrees west longitude. SIR-C/X-SAR acquired radar imagery on April 9, 1994, during the 6th orbit of the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-59), and a science team at the University of Michigan produced this map of biomass in Raco. Accurate information about land cover is important for area resource management and for scientific models used to understand global change.

The area shown is approximately 24 by 40 kilometers (15 by 25 miles). Located at the eastern end of Michigan's upper peninsula, at the boundary between boreal and northern temperate forests, Raco occupies a transitional zone that may be ecologically sensitive to possible global changes resulting from climatic warming. The red area in the upper right corner is an ice-covered portion of Lake Superior.

Areas with little or no vegetation are shown as red, while areas with dense vegetation are shown as blue. Seasonal growth of terrestrial plants, and forests in particular, leads to temporary storage of large amounts of carbon that could directly affect changes in global climate. To accurately predict global change, scientists need details about the distribution of vegetation types and the amount of biomass around the globe. While optical techniques to determine biomass can be limited by chronic cloud cover, SIR-C/X-SAR can penetrate through cloud cover with little signal loss.