The overall objective of SIBERIA-II is to demonstrate the viability of full carbon accounting (including greenhouse gases: CO2, CO, CH4, N2O, NOx) on a regional basis using the environmental tools and systems available to us today and in the near future. The region under study is Northern Eurasia, covering an area of 200 million ha and representing a significant part of the Earth's boreal biome which plays a critical role in global climate. The tools and systems to be employed include a selected yet spectrally and temporally diverse set of multi-sensor Earth Observation instruments, detailed databases of field information and some of the worlds most advanced climate models to account for fluxes between the land and the atmosphere.

The scientific objective of this project is to integrate Earth observation and climate models so that a full greenhouse gas accounting within a significant part of the biosphere may be quantified. This objective will be achieved by using a proposed project structure which contains three key elements. These elements are:

1. the multi-sensor approach encompassing almost all available satellite observations;

2. the seamless integration of primary and secondary EO products into climate model development;

3. the knowledge of the Northern Eurasian regional land cover (already in digital form) through appropriate collaboration with local agencies and the previous remote sensing data integration in SIBERIA-I.

SIBERIA-II develops a combined monitoring system to yield estimates of carbon sources, sinks and pools at multiple spatial and temporal scales from regional to those relevant to land use policy and resource management. This requires the mapping of heterogeneous properties of the surface features from satellite data, their validation and extension to appropriate spatial and temporal scales and a close integration with biospheric models to ensure that all parts of the carbon system are accounted for. The technical objectives will also place great emphasis on addressing the accuracy both required by the overall system and delivered by the various sub-products of the EO approach. Two existing, internationally recognised global biosphere models (LPJ and S-DGVM) will be driven and tested using the EO data derived as well as the Carbon Accounting Method of IIASA.

The scientific impacts of the project are to:

1. increase the value of the Earth observation since the methodological development extends the understanding of the scientific content of the signal beyond mere empirical relationships based on fusion of EO with ancillary data sets (GIS, ground data);

2. develop innovative algorithms will define the interface between EO-data, GIS, and (ecological) biosphere models;

3. drive, verify or constrain biosphere models with EO data;

4. reach verifiable assessment procedures.

SIBERIA-II can also be seen as a demonstration on how remote sensing data is useful for environmental monitoring and specifically for carbon and climate research.

Active links are being formed with the TCOS Siberia project (coordinated through MPI Jena) and with two ESA DUP projects (GLOBCARBON - global estimation of LAI, fPAR, burned area with multi-sensor EO data and TEMIS - atmospheric chemistry from EO data).

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