Assessments on biomass production by remote sensing

Abstract

Biomass production (BIO) and its anomalies were modeled using MODIS satellite images and gridded weather data to test an environmental monitoring system in the biomes Atlantic Forest (AF) and Caatinga (CT) within SEALBA, an agricultural growing region bordered by the states of Sergipe (SE), Alagoas (AL), and Bahia (BA), Northeast Brazil. Spatial and temporal variations on BIO between these biomes were strongly identified, with the annual long-term averages (2007-2023) for AF and CT of 78 ± 22 and 58 ± 17 kg ha^-1 d^-1, respectively. BIO anomalies were detected through its standardized indexes - STD (BIO_STD), comparing the results for each of the years from 2020 to 2023 with the long-term rates from 2007 to each of these years. The highest negative BIO_STD values were in 2023, but concentrated in CT, indicating periods with the lowest vegetation growth, regarding the long-term conditions from 2007 to 2023. The largest positive BIO_STD values were for the AF biome in 2022, evidencing the highest vegetative vigor in comparison with the long-term period 2007-2022.  The proposed BIO monitoring system is important for environmental policies as they picture suitable periods and places for agricultural and forestry explorations, allowing sustainable managements under climate and land-use changes conditions, with possibilities for replication of the methods in other environmental conditions.