Union Rayo - No calm sea ever made a skilled sailor, or so they say. Now that we’re talking about the sea… could you tell what colour the sea is? Does it depend on where you are? Or is it always blue? Green? Light blue? We know that none of us really know what colour the sea is, we know that it has light blue and light blue tones, and that if it rains it turns green, but… what if we saw the oceans of our planet from space for the first time, just as they look from up there?
PACE-PAX
JPL - The ocean is an engine that drives Earth’s weather patterns and climate and sustains a substantial portion of life on the planet. A new animation based on data from two recently launched missions — NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) and the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellites — gives a peek into the heart of that engine.
satnews - “We see great opportunity to dramatically accelerate our scientific understanding of our oceans and the significant role they play in our Earth system,” said Karen St. Germain, director of the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This visualization illustrates the potential we have when we begin to integrate measurements from our separate SWOT and PACE ocean missions. Each of those missions is significant on its own.
JPL - One Earth satellite can see plankton that photosynthesize. The other measures water surface height. Together, their data reveals how sea life and the ocean are intertwined.
NASA’s SWOT and PACE missions offer unprecedented insights into the ocean’s role as a climate engine and life-supporting system. By combining SWOT’s physical measurements with PACE’s biological observations, scientists can better understand how ocean dynamics impact marine ecosystems, fisheries, and carbon cycling.
NASA earth observatory - Bloom season, already underway for several months, continued to dazzle in the productive South Atlantic waters off Argentina. Earlier, in austral spring 2024, satellites captured a clear image of a sizeable phytoplankton bloom along the Patagonian Shelf. Communities of the tiny aquatic organisms persisted into the long days of the Southern Hemisphere summer, painting surface waters in shades of green and blue into late December.
Scitechdaily - Blossoming Seas: The Marvel of Phytoplankton
Bloom season has been underway for several months, showcasing vibrant activity in the nutrient-rich South Atlantic waters off Argentina. During austral spring 2024, satellites captured a striking image of a large phytoplankton bloom along the Patagonian Shelf.
NASA Goddard - One of NASA’s most expansive and complex field campaigns took place over the month of September. The goal: to check the data that the new PACE satellite is collecting from orbit about Earth’s atmosphere and ocean. To do that, NASA’s PACE-PAX (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment) deployed several aircraft and ships from multiple locations in California, including Marina, Santa Barbara, and NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards.
NASA - The breeze across the California desert kicks up some dust and sand. As a NASA research plane rolls down the runway and prepares for takeoff, its wings vibrate with the gust of wind. It’s a flight day for one of NASA’s most expansive and complex field campaigns.
The breeze across the California desert kicks up some dust and sand. As a NASA research plane rolls down the runway and prepares for takeoff, its wings vibrate with the gust of wind. It’s a flight day for one of NASA’s most expansive and complex field campaigns.
Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at the time of publication, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information, and parts may not function in current web browsers. Visit https://espo.nasa.gov for information about our current projects.
