Down To Earth: A podcast for Geoscientists by Geoscientist started its fifth season with Professor Ralph Dubayah talking about forest ecosystems on Oct. 10.

In the podcast, Dubayah discussed the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) technology and its impact on understanding forest ecosystems and the carbon cycle. "We're only now starting to catch up to that kind of quantification of the impacts of [forest] disturbance and degradation," he told host Stephanie Tumampos.

The interview covered the GEDI mission between 2018 and 2023, which contributed to detailed measurements of the 3D structure of Earth's surface; and highlighted the role of the Remote Sensing Environment Analysis and Climate Technologies (REACT) Technical Committee of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society in advancing climate science and the need for collaboration among scientists and engineers. 

The professor also complemented the upcoming 2024 NISAR mission and the importance of continuing to use GEDI for building a time series of change to assess policies for forest protection and carbon sequestration and encouraged geoscientists and remote sensing scientists to follow their scientific passions and persevere in their careers; and more.