NASA’s GEDI Mission Will Track Carbon Emissions in Earth’s Forests

(Credit: Shutterstock) The Jedi in Star Wars is all about the force, but NASA’s GEDI is all about the forest. On December 5, the space agency launched their tree-tracking Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will use laser light to create 3D maps of Earth’s forests and estimate their carbon emissions. Unlike most mappers, GEDI is able to peer below tree canopies and see the vegetation that lies beneath — giving insight into carbon cycling, habitat quality and how human activity impacts forest health. The mission, which was chosen as NASA’s Earth Venture-Instrument in 2014, will be powered on today aboard the Japanese Experiment Module. Carbon and Canopies The fossil fuels that power cars, homes and manufacturing all cause carbon dioxide (CO2) to leach into Earth’s atmosphere, but so does deforestation. Ralph Dubayah, GEDI’s principle investigator, says that trees are made up ...