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Full catalog/Global_Maps_C_Density_2010_1763
Global_Maps_C_Density_2010_1763·v1·dataset

Carbon stored in plants above and below ground (2010)

Global Aboveground and Belowground Biomass Carbon Density Maps for the Year 2010
biosphere NASA ORNL_CLOUD Level 4 GeoTIFF
In plain English

What it measures. Global maps for the year 2010 showing how much carbon is stored in living plants, both above ground in stems and leaves and below ground in roots.

How it's made. Assembled by stitching together many published satellite-based maps of different vegetation types and applying models, all harmonized to a consistent 300 m global grid.

How & where you'd use it. Used to estimate how much carbon the world's plants hold, supporting climate, forestry, and land-use research, with uncertainty maps included.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › BIOMASSBIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS › FORESTSBIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS › GRASSLANDSBIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS › ALPINE/TUNDRA

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2010-01-01 → 2010-12-31
  • Measured byMODELS (Computer)
  • Processing levelLevel 4
  • Spatial extent-180, -61.1, 180, 84
  • FormatsGeoTIFF
  • 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 provides temporally consistent and harmonized global maps of aboveground and belowground biomass carbon density for the year 2010 at a 300-m spatial resolution. The aboveground biomass map integrates land-cover specific, remotely sensed maps of woody, grassland, cropland, and tundra biomass. Input maps were amassed from the published literature and, where necessary, updated to cover the focal extent or time period. The belowground biomass map similarly integrates matching maps derived from each aboveground biomass map and land-cover specific empirical models. Aboveground and belowground maps were then integrated separately using ancillary maps of percent tree cover and landcover and a rule-based decision tree. Maps reporting the accumulated uncertainty of pixel-level estimates are also provided.

Get the data

global_maps_c_density_2010_1763_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="Global_Maps_C_Density_2010_1763",
    version="1",
    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.