The first thing to do when you make a calculation of biomass is to state the time period for which it is calculated. The reason for this is because biomass is biological matter and so there can be significant changes in it over a period of time.
These changes mean that biomass is usually expressed as a net change, so the calculation would be: Biomass (net) = increase biomass (gross) - decrease biomass (gross). Subtracting the decrease in biomass from the gross increase in biomass means that you can determine the net change in the overall biomass for the specified length of time and give a realistic figure.
Being able to do this means that organisations are able to assess the overall state of a particular body, biological system or ecosystem. Measuring biomass is not just confined to measuring solid matter; the method can also be used to measure levels of elements such as nitrogen or carbon, which are vital elements.
This means that such things like forests can be analysed to see how healthy they are. For example, the gross increase of tree biomass can be calculated for a particular area in a specific time frame. In this way, a forester can calculate the quantity of viable trees that can be used, and disregard those that have been negatively affected by disease, insect and animal destruction and the weather.
Without these calculations in biomass it would not be possible to make realistic assumptions about real world changes and so solutions would not be able to be put in place to address them. In real terms this means that there would be a very real possibility that ecological damage could be not be resolved, which in its turn could have a huge negative impact upon the world’s resources.
These changes mean that biomass is usually expressed as a net change, so the calculation would be: Biomass (net) = increase biomass (gross) - decrease biomass (gross). Subtracting the decrease in biomass from the gross increase in biomass means that you can determine the net change in the overall biomass for the specified length of time and give a realistic figure.
Being able to do this means that organisations are able to assess the overall state of a particular body, biological system or ecosystem. Measuring biomass is not just confined to measuring solid matter; the method can also be used to measure levels of elements such as nitrogen or carbon, which are vital elements.
This means that such things like forests can be analysed to see how healthy they are. For example, the gross increase of tree biomass can be calculated for a particular area in a specific time frame. In this way, a forester can calculate the quantity of viable trees that can be used, and disregard those that have been negatively affected by disease, insect and animal destruction and the weather.
Without these calculations in biomass it would not be possible to make realistic assumptions about real world changes and so solutions would not be able to be put in place to address them. In real terms this means that there would be a very real possibility that ecological damage could be not be resolved, which in its turn could have a huge negative impact upon the world’s resources.
