NASA researchers study effects of biofuel crops

Ethanol Producer Magazine
January 2009
By Erin Voegele
Web exclusive posted Dec. 21, 2008, at 11:58 a.m. CST

NASA researchers presented preliminary findings of biofuel crop research at the 2008 fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 19. Christopher Potter, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, and his colleagues described how they are working to predict the agricultural productivity of areas in the Midwest that are converting cropland to biofuels feedstock production.

The research uses satellite data collected by NASA and computer models to follow the effects of land-use changes on carbon pools and greenhouse gas emissions. The satellite images are used to make observations of vegetation cover and map above-ground and subsurface carbon pools in croplands.

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