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# Widespread carbon accumulation in mature forests remains underestimated by satellite observations

## Details

**Authors** Ma et al.

**Year** 2026

**Publisher** Nature Ecology & Evolution

**Discipline** Ecology

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03151-w) 
10.1038/s41559-026-03151-w

## In authors' words

### What they found (results)

Satellite observations detected little biomass change, whereas forest inventories and lidar measurements of the same forests revealed substantial annual carbon accumulation.

## Commentary

### In short

The study shows that the same forests produce different carbon estimates depending on the observational perspective used to measure them.

**Patterns it shows** P

**Added** 2026-08-04

**How to cite this** Ma et al. (2026). Widespread carbon accumulation in mature forests remains underestimated by satellite observations. Nature Ecology & Evolution.