Wall-to-wall mapping of carbon loss within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone after the 2020 catastrophic wildfire
Key message
We propose a framework to derive the direct loss of aboveground carbon stocks after the 2020 wildfire in forests of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone using optical and radar Sentinel satellite data. Carbon stocks were adequately predicted using stand-wise inventory data and local combustion factors where new field observations are impossible. Both the standalone Sentinel-1 backscatter delta (before and after fire) indicator and radar-based change model reliably predicted the associated carbon loss.
Keywords
Chernobyl forest; Sentinel; Carbon emissions; Synthetic aperture radar; Multispectral satellite data
Publication
Matsala, M., Myroniuk, V., Borsuk, O. et al. Wall-to-wall mapping of carbon loss within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone after the 2020 catastrophic wildfire. Annals of Forest Science 80, 26 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-023-01192-w
Data and/or Code availability
Data to calibrate and evaluate the carbon stock model and carbon loss model are available at the Zenodo repository: https://zenodo.org/record/7996362.
Handling Editor
Shengli Tao
