Biospheric Science Branch at NASA Ames

The Biospheric Science Branch (Code SGE) at NASA’s Ames Research Center studies the Earth’s terrestrial and marine biospheres, with a focus on how these ecosystems interact with the atmosphere and how those interactions change over time. Their research supports global efforts to monitor and understand the carbon cycle, land cover and land use change, wildfires, air quality, and ecosystem dynamics using remote sensing and modeling tools.

Specializing in remote sensing, the branch uses instruments on satellites and aircraft to observe, measure, and model vegetation health, land cover, carbon fluxes, atmospheric composition, and ecosystem productivity. This work contributes to NASA’s Earth science goals by clarifying how ecosystems are changing and what those changes mean for life on Earth.

Branch researchers contribute to multiple satellite and airborne missions and campaigns.