IDENTIFYING CARBON SINKS WITH THE USE OF HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES: A POTENTIAL TOOL FOR LANDSCAPE PLANNING

Abstract. There is a lack of assertive carbon sink identification techniques and guidelines to underpin landscape planning based on the promotion and protection of support ecosystem services, as well as other categories, needed for human well-being (regulation, provision and culture). Considering this, the present article aims to identify carbon sinks in stretches of the territorial landscape of Distrito Federal, by the use of remote sensing tools. To this end, it was applied the hyperspectral index ICO₂ in a stretch of Distrito Federal’s landscape, seeking variations of CO₂ in the atmospheric air column of areas with carbon sink action. Then, it was applied an index – CO₂flux – in the same stretch, in a different approach: variations in carbon sequestration in vegetation performance (photosynthetic efficacy) in areas with carbon sink behavior. In sequence, the correlation between the indexes above was verified for the validation of the carbon sinks that have been found by both methods.