NASA LiDAR Biomass Estimates for Sonoma County, 2013

NASA's dataset provides high-resolution estimates of above-ground woody biomass for Sonoma County, California, USA, for the nominal year 2013. Biomass density in megagrams per hectare was modeled at 30-meter resolution using airborne LiDAR data and field plot measurements. The dataset includes uncertainty estimates derived from 1,000 model iterations per pixel.

Use Cases

• Quantifying regional carbon stocks by analyzing biomass density (Mg/ha) estimates.
• Assessing model uncertainty for biomass predictions using the provided 5th/95th percentiles and standard deviation layers.
• Studying relationships between forest structure (canopy cover, 50th/90th percentile heights) and biomass.
• Validating other remote sensing biomass products against this LiDAR-derived model.

Strengths

• High 30-meter spatial resolution provides detailed biomass mapping.
• Uncertainty quantification is based on 1,000 model iterations per pixel.
• Model integrates field plot measurements with airborne LiDAR data for calibration.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is limited to a single county (Sonoma) and a single nominal year (2013).
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03-13, while NASA EarthData lists 2013-09-01.
• Specific column names and row/size counts are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Parametric modeling combining airborne LiDAR data and field plot measurements.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

2026-03 13 18:24:20.359560

Geography

Sonoma County, California, USA