Research News
High-Precision Canopy Height Dataset Illuminates Forest Structure Dynamics in Nanping City, China
High-Precision Canopy Height Dataset Illuminates Forest Structure Dynamics in Nanping City, China

Researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), in collaboration with Beijing Normal University and Fujian Normal University, have developed a 10-meter resolution dataset that maps the vertical structure of forests in Nanping City, Fujian Province, China. Covering the years 2022 and 2023, the dataset provides unprecedented insights into the forest canopy height, enabling improved biomass and carbon stock estimations.

Paper 13 Mar 2026
Global Framework Developed for Assessing Solar PV Potential: Enhancing Feasibility and Affordability for Clean Energy Transition
Global Framework Developed for Assessing Solar PV Potential: Enhancing Feasibility and Affordability for Clean Energy Transition

A research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), together with the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) and the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has developed a detailed, global framework to evaluate the potential for solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment. The framework, which works at a fine scale of 1-kilometer resolution, evaluates both the technical and economic feasibility of solar PV. The team also released a global dataset that tracks "affordability" from 2013 to 2023, offering valuable information for accelerating clean-energy planning and progress toward UN's Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

09 Mar 2026
Stronger Protection Significantly Enhances Forest Carbon Storage in China's Protected Areas
Stronger Protection Significantly Enhances Forest Carbon Storage in China's Protected Areas

Researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), in collaboration with the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals and Aarhus University in Denmark, published a study in Nature Communications on 10 February, 2026. By integrating spaceborne Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar observations with simulations from the dynamic vegetation model LPJ-GUESS, the team conducted the first nationwide assessment of the contributions of different categories of protected areas to aboveground forest carbon density. The study further projected future carbon gain potential under different climate scenarios and varying protection intensities.

Paper 12 Feb 2026
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