Where mangroves grow, how tall and how much carbon — CMS_Global_Map_Mangrove_Canopy_1665

In plain English

What it measures. A global picture of mangrove forests around the year 2000: where they grow, how much above-ground plant material (biomass, a proxy for stored carbon) they hold, and how tall their canopies are. It also includes on-the-ground field measurements of tree size and height.

How it's made. Combines satellite-measured canopy heights (including laser altimetry from ICESat and terrain data from a Space Shuttle radar mission) with region-specific models and in-person field surveys, mapped at 30-meter resolution.

How & where you'd use it. Helps with mapping coastal mangrove ecosystems, estimating the carbon they store, and supporting conservation and climate work.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › MARINE ECOSYSTEMS › COASTALBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › BIOMASSBIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS › WETLANDSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › CANOPY CHARACTERISTICS

Coverage & cadence

Time span2000-01-01 → 2014-08-03
Measured byICESat (GLAS) · FIELD SURVEYS (Laser_RF, CLINOMETERS) · STS-99 (SRTM)
Processing levelLevel 3
Spatial extent-180, -39.0001, 180, 31.0001
Formatsmultiple
StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

Map vegetation, forests and biomass
Monitor ecosystem productivity and carbon
Support habitat and biodiversity studies

Official description

This dataset characterizes the global distribution, biomass, and canopy height of mangrove-forested wetlands based on remotely sensed and in situ field measurement data. Estimates of (1) mangrove aboveground biomass (AGB), (2) maximum canopy height (height of the tallest tree), and (3) basal-area weighted height (individual tree heights weighted in proportion to their basal area) for the nominal year 2000 were derived across a 30-meter resolution global mangrove ecotype extent map using remotely-sensed canopy height measurements and region-specific allometric models. Also provided are (4) in situ field measurement data for selected sites across a wide variety of forest structures (e.g., scrub, fringe, riverine and basin) in mangrove ecotypes of the global equatorial region. Within designated plots, selected trees were identified to species and diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height was measured using a laser rangefinder or clinometer. Tree density (the number of stems) can be estimated for each plot and expressed per unit area. These data were used to derive plot-level allometry among AGB, basal area weighted height (Hba), and maximum canopy height (Hmax) and to validate the remotely sensed estimates.

Get the data

cms_global_map_mangrove_canopy_1665_access.py

import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="CMS_Global_Map_Mangrove_Canopy_1665",
    version="1.3",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from ORNL_CLOUD

Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.

Official links

Earthdata Search allows users to search, discover, visualize, refine, and access NASA Earth Observation data. GET DATA
Collection Bundle URL GET DATA
ORNL DAAC Data Set Documentation VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Global Mangrove Distribution, Aboveground Biomass, and Canopy Height: CMS_Global_Map_Mangrove_Canopy.pdf VIEW RELATED INFORMATION