Այվազյան et al. (2026) Satellite-Based Aboveground Biomass Estimation in Mountain Pastures of Armenia

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Identification

• Journal: Land
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-12
• Authors: Գրիգոր Այվազյան, Andrey Medvedev, Vahagn S. Muradyan, И.И. Середа, Azatuhi Hovsepyan, Ani Avetisyan, Ashot Baghdasaryan, Rima Avetisyan, Anahit Khlghatyan, Anna Sargsyan, Shushanik Asmaryan
• DOI: 10.3390/land15091689

Research Groups

• Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences, Armenia
• Department of Geoinformatics, Yerevan State University

Short Summary

This study presents a remote-sensing framework for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) in heterogeneous mountain environments using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning. The model achieved an out-of-fold R2 of 0.596 at the 20 × 20 m plot level.

Objective

• Evaluate the accuracy of AGB estimation using remote sensing in a mountainous region

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local (Aragats Volcanic Massif, Armenia) and regional (18 pastures covering 1822.5 ha)
• Temporal Scale: Five field campaigns from April to July 2025

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Machine learning algorithms for AGB estimation
• Data sources: PlanetScope imagery, terrain variables, and field measurements of biomass in 30 plots

Main Results

• The model achieved an out-of-fold R2 of 0.596 at the 20 × 20 m plot level (RMSE = 54.0 g m−2; MAE = 33.1 g m−2)
• Variance partitioning showed that within-plot variability in the Meadow Steppe and a strong soil background under sparse early-season cover in the Dry Steppe contributed to zone-level performance

Contributions

• This study provides an original remote-sensing framework for AGB estimation in heterogeneous mountain environments, improving upon existing methods by incorporating terrain variables and machine learning.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Science Foundation of Armenia (grant #20AGA001) and the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant #101010102).

Citation

@article{Այվազյան2026SatelliteBased,
  author = {Այվազյան, Գրիգոր and Medvedev, Andrey and Muradyan, Vahagn S. and Середа, И.И. and Hovsepyan, Azatuhi and Avetisyan, Ani and Baghdasaryan, Ashot and Avetisyan, Rima and Khlghatyan, Anahit and Sargsyan, Anna and Asmaryan, Shushanik},
  title = {Satellite-Based Aboveground Biomass Estimation in Mountain Pastures of Armenia},
  journal = {Land},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/land15091689},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/land15091689}
}