RPT: Chinese researchers monitor vegetation productivity by TanSat

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have achieved a global image of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence which can clearly indicate vegetation productivity, according to the Science and Technology Daily.

Applying the data from the carbon dioxide observation satellite TanSat, the researchers monitored the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and identified the chlorophyll fluorescence of terrestrial vegetation with high accuracy.

The global image of the chlorophyll fluorescence showed vigorous vegetation productivity in the corn belt in North America, European plain, and agricultural regions in East Asia in July 2017, as well as Amazon forest in December.

China launched the 620-kilogram TanSat satellite in December 2016, becoming the third country after Japan and the United States to monitor greenhouse gases using its own satellite.

Chlorophyll fluorescence is an electromagnetic signal emitted by growing plants. It reflects the biological and physical processes of plants, and can accurately estimate the photosynthetic activity of vegetation. Enditem