carbin cycle Archives - National Centre for Earth Observation

CarbonARA: International Climate Science Team Launches Groundbreaking Campaign in the Amazon

Posted on: 2 October, 2025 Last updated on: 2 October, 2025 Written by: fp86 Categorized in: News

European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the CarbonARA project, led by the Earth Observation and Wildfire Research Group and the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) at King’s College London. CarbonARA brings together a skilled, interdisciplinary team of UK, European, and Brazilian partners to deliver an ambitious field campaign in the eastern Amazon.

Solar induced fluorescence (SIF) – Observing the subtle glow of plants from space to better understand the carbon cycle

Posted on: 14 July, 2025 Last updated on: 14 July, 2025 Written by: fp86 Categorized in: Research Insights

Plants emit a faint, infrared glow as a by-product of photosynthesis, known as solar induced fluorescence (SIF). This signal can be detected from space using spectrometers onboard Earth-orbiting satellites. SIF serves as a valuable proxy for photosynthetic activity, offering crucial insights into the global carbon cycle. It is also an important indicator of plant health and can support crop monitoring and drought risk assessment.