The Biogeocycles and land cover change studies are being carried with the satellite based platform observations. The Vegetation carbon pools over land and ocean are being investigated using the IRS and OceanSat series of satellites. The preliminary land based vegetation carbon pools related to agriculture and forest have been studied. The algorithms over the marine based phytoplanktons are being explored through campaign mode of observations and validation of models.

The land cover dynamics in terms of vegetation change and glacial melt are being studied and the initial observations have shown some encouraging results on the socioeconomic and climatic impacts. The forest carbon pool studies have estimated at 3117 Mt C during 1990 time frame compared to 3321 Mt C in 1980. However, the carbon fluxes and the dynamics in the agriculture forest systems are being studied using satellite and ground based observations.

The land cover dynamics as a function of shifting cultivation in the north-eastern part of India has revealed using 20 years multi-temporal data analysis and simulations through 1D Monte Carlo simulation provided some guidelines on the future perspectives of land cover change. The extended studies in respect of land cover dynamics over the entire country may provide better insights on the socioeconomic impacts on land cover dynamics.

NEW THRUST AREAS :

Land cover dynamics using multi-temporal satellite data for the entire country along with the socioeconomic data and to project it for the next 25 - 50 years would provide land cover changes related to human dimension. This could be corroborated with the possible climatic impacts implementable through Regional Climate Models.

The forest and agricultural carbon fluxes using satellite and ground based observations are being planned at the national scale with a view to provide better understanding on the carbon fluxes due to deforestation and afforestation as well as crop growth scenarios. The studies would provide on the possibilities of fixing the atmospheric carbon dioxide as the potential land cover sink.

In addition to the above, the biogeocycles working group is also planning to generate base line inputs on the land cover data as well as some critical biophysical variables like LAI, NDVI, Soil moisture etc using satellite data for use in the RCM simulations.

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL

In all there are nearly 25 peer institutions in the country involving about 100 scientists are participating in the ISRO-GBP programme. The national institutions involved are NIO, IMD, IITM, IISc, IITs, SPL, PRL, NRSA, SAC, NPL and several universities are associated. In all there are nearly 55 research scholars are associated in the ISRO-GBP programme.