News

High Altitude ER-2 Flights Get Down-to-Earth Data

High Altitude ER-2 Gets Down-to-Earth Data

AEROTECHNEWS - Operating at altitudes above 99 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA’s ER-2 aircraft is the agency’s highest-flying airborne science platform.

With its unique ability to observe from as high as 65,000 feet, the ER-2 aircraft is often a platform for Earth science that facilitates new and crucial information about our planet, especially when the plane is part of collaborative and multidisciplinary projects.

Scientists Baffled by 2024's Unprecented Heat

In a groundbreaking development, 2024 recorded the hottest June through August on record, continuing a staggering streak of record-breaking global temperatures that began in June 2023.

SciTechDaily - In a groundbreaking development, 2024 recorded the hottest June through August on record, continuing a staggering streak of record-breaking global temperatures that began in June 2023.

This unexpected surge in temperature, described by climate scientists as both humbling and confounding, has prompted an intense investigation into the contributing factors.

Mapping Ocean Ecosystems with NASA Technology at PACE Hackweek

Mapping Ocean Ecosystems with NASA Technology

University of RI - GSO At NASA’s PACE Hackweek, Sarah Lang, a Ph.D. candidate at GSO, worked on a multi-institutional team to explore how mesoscale eddies—swirling ocean currents spanning 10-100 km—affect phytoplankton ecosystems, which are vital to the overall health of oceanic ecosystems and future climate

The Earth Observer Editor’s Corner: Fall 2024

GOES-19 Images on August 30, 2024

NASA Science - On September 18, 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared the first images of the Western Hemisphere from the GOES-19 satellite, its newest geostationary satellite launched on June 25, 2024 onboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Previously known as GOES-U, the satellite was renamed GOES-19 upon reaching geostationary orbit on July 7, 2024. GOES-19 orbits about 35,785 km (~22,000 mi) above the equator at the same speed the Earth rotates, allowing the satellite to constantly view the same area of the planet and track weather conditions and hazards as they happen. The satellite’s Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument recently captured stunning views of Earth in 16 spectral channels. This data provides researchers information about Earth’s atmosphere, land, and ocean for short-term forecasts and tracking severe weather – see Figure. ABI data is also used for detecting and monitoring environmental hazards, such as wildfires, smoke, dust storms, volcanic eruptions, turbulence, and fog. Data from multiple ABI channels can be combined to create imagery that approximates what the human eye would see from space referred to as GeoColor

Updates on NASA Field Campaigns

CIRPAS Twin Otter

NASA Science - The primary objective of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem–Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE–PAX) is to gather data to validate measurements from NASA’s PACE mission. A secondary objective was validation of observations by the European Space Agency’s recently launched Earth Cloud, Aerosol, and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission. The operations spanned Southern and Central California and nearby coastal regions, logging 81 flight hours for the NASA ER-2, which operated out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in Edwards, CA, and 60 hours for the Twin Otter aircraft, which was operated by the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) at the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, CA) out of Marina Municipal Airport in Marina, CA

Validating PACE and Inspiring Future Scientists

PACE-PAX Outreach with Dr. Brenna Biggs

EarthObservatory - This story is from one of 63 virtual student engagement events held for NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne Experiment (PACE-PAX). The mission used aircraft (the NASA ER-2 and CIRPAS Twin Otter) and waterborne research vessels (R/V Blissfully,R/V Shearwater, and R/V Fish) to calibrate and validate the data from the PACE satellite, which was launched in February 2024. California was the main hub for the mission, with most of the airborne and waterborne activities occurring in Edwards, Marina, Long Beach, and Santa Barbara.

NASA'S High-altitude ER-2 Flights Use High-tech Sensors for PACE-PAX Project

PACE-PAX news content

Military Aerospace Electronics - Operating at altitudes above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA’s ER-2 aircraft is the agency’s highest-flying airborne science platform. With its unique ability to observe from as high as 65,000 feet, the ER-2 aircraft is often a platform for Earth science that facilitates new and crucial information about our planet, especially when the plane is part of collaborative and multidisciplinary projects, Erica Heim writes for NASA. Continue reading original article.

Introduction to the PACE Mission for Water Quality Monitoring

NASA Video - Introduction to Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Econtroduction to Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Hyperspectral Observations for Water Quality Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to the PACE Mission for Water Quality Monitoring ARSET Trainers: Amita Mehta Guest Instructors: Antonio Mannino Learning Objectives: 1. Review past and current hyperspectral missions useful for water quality applications 2. Identify key features of the NASA PACE hyperspectral mission satellite and instruments useful for monitoring water quality of large lakes and estuaries 3. Identify advantages and limitations of using PACE/OCI data for water quality monitoring

Twenty-one Hours a Day on a 30-Foot Floating Science Lab

The Twin Otter research plane flies past RV Blissfully on sampling station. RV Blissfully’s surface light sensor is seen in the foreground. Photo by Bridget Seegers.

Research Vessel (RV) Blissfully is a 30-foot sailboat that is the science lab and home for two sailing scientists, Captain Gordon Ackland and myself, Dr. Bridget Seegers. The RV Blissfully is a recent addition to the fleet of research vessels. Previously, Blissfully’s days were primarily spent peacefully floating snug in a San Diego boat slip with an occasional day sail. However, Blissfully was volunteered to support the PACE-PAX campaign and therefore transitioned a month ago into RV Blissfully.

Orbital Biosignature Survey: Lake Erie Algal Bloom

Algal communities flourish in Lake Erie’s western basin each summer. Scientists are looking to new NASA technology to better track them from space. Instrument: Landsat 9 — OLI-2 Larger image

Astrobiology - Algal blooms have become a common occurrence on Lake Erie, as much a part of summer at the lake as island-hopping, scenic cruises, and roller coasters. In 2024, a bloom of blue-green algae began forming in the lake’s western basin on June 24—the earliest that a bloom has been identified by NOAA since the agency began tracking them in 2002. It was still present in early September. Bloom season can last into October, with its duration depending on the frequency of wind events that mix lake waters in the fall.

Day-in-the-Life of a PACE-PAX Mission Flight

The turbid and complex waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were visible during a spiral maneuver. Photo by Luke Ziemba.

06:00 Local Time: Go/No-Go Meeting We are in the field supporting PACE-PAX (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment), a multi-disciplinary mission that involves two aircraft—the NASA ER-2 and CIRPAS Twin Otter—and several mobile ocean assets, all helping to validate observations and data products from NASA’s new satellite observation platform, PACE. Our days typically start with an initial look at the weather in the area of operations and airport conditions during takeoff and landing. Both the ER-2 and Twin Otter will fly today since the weather is acceptable for launch, science, and landing.

Sailing Away for PACE

Image of PACE detaching from its rocket on February 7, 2024. Photo by Kelsey Allen.

Hello from sunny Santa Barbara, California, where the ship operations for the PACE-PAX campaign are underway!

The PACE satellite went into orbit in February 2024. Its mission is to help us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide, as well as how aerosols can fuel phytoplankton blooms and help us track harmful algal blooms around the planet.

PACE-PAX stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem – Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (see why we made it shorter?) We are using two airplanes and three ships, among other free-sailing instruments, to gather data that will tell us how well our shiny new satellite, PACE, is doing. We compare our planet-side data with the space-side data so we can make sure we are providing the very best information about the health of the world’s oceans.

NASA Earth Scientists Take Flight, Set Sail to Verify PACE Satellite Data

NASA - More than 100 scientists will participate in a field campaign involving a research vessel and two aircraft this month to verify the accuracy of data collected by NASA’s new PACE satellite: the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission.

Stephen Broccardo: A ‘STAR’ in PACE Data Collection

NASA Blogs - Stephen Broccardo, research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, is the principal investigator for the Sea-going Sky-Scanning Sun-tracking Atmospheric Research Radiometer (SeaSTAR). The ship-based instrument is one of many in a campaign set out to gather data around the world to check the information that NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite is collecting in orbit. Broccardo will use SeaSTAR for the first time in an upcoming PACE validation campaign.

Shifting Sea Ice is Making Sailing Ships Through the Northwest Passage More Difficult

The Northwest Passage region of the Canadian Arctic. Image: NASA PACE satellite, July 13, 2024.

GEOGRAPHY REALM - The Northwest Passage connects ship traffic through the Arctic Ocean to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The passage winds through a cluster of islands north of mainland Canada, offering a potentially shorter route between oceans but posing significant challenges due to the unpredictable Arctic waters and shifting ice.

Arctic Ice Won't Let Go: The Surprising Truth Behind the Northwest Passage

Satellite image of the islands and waterways that form the crux of the Northwest Passage acquired on July 13, 2024, by the Ocean Color Instrument aboard NASA’s PACE

SciTechDaily - On July 13, 2024, the OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) aboard NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite captured a rare, mostly cloud-free image of the islands and waterways that form the crux of the Northwest Passage.

NASA's PACE Mission: Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystems

Remote sensing is the science of looking at objects from a distance. Applying the concept to satellites, we can look at any number of objects from space. NASA’s PACE mission takes advantage of this – it is a satellite whose goal is to look at the Earth from space and help scientists answer a broad range of scientific questions. Join Skye Caplan, a remote sensing scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, to learn about the PACE mission as well as the long history NASA has of Earth observations. This was recorded on July 18, 2024.

A Vivid New View of Earth

The mechanical team assembles in the clean room where they prepared the PACE Observatory before launch. (Photo: NASA)

Living on Earth - A powerful new NASA satellite called PACE can look at the ocean and clouds to distinguish between different kinds of microscopic phytoplankton and aerosols from an orbit 400 miles up. PACE Project Scientist Dr. Jeremy Werdell joins Host Jenni Doering to describe how the technology works, its value to scientific research on climate change, and the real-time data it provides about water and air quality worldwide.

Keeping PACE with the Oceans

NASA Goddard - Did you know that we can detect tiny organisms called phytoplankton from space?  These creatures affect the colors of the ocean, and NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud Ocean Ecosystem) satellite can see those colors in fine detail. Join NASA’s chief scientist Kate Calvin as she explores the PACE mission in depth with oceanographers Ivona Cetinić and Bridget Seegers.

NASA Leader Emphasizes Satellite Data and Collaboration to Combat Climate Change

Via Satellite - NASA wants to play a key role alongside the commercial satellite industry to use satellite technology to help avert the climate crisis. In a recent keynote at the Earth Observation Summit in London, Dalia Kirschbaum, director of the Earth Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said that NASA wants to help create an integrated system of data and make that available to others to address the climate crisis.

PACE Makes the Invisible Visible

NASA Goddard - PACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem mission, views our entire planet every day, returning data at a cadence that allows scientists to track and monitor the rapidly changing atmosphere and ocean, including cloud formatiPACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem mission, views our entire planet every day, returning data at a cadence that allows scientists to track and monitor the rapidly changing atmosphere and ocean, including cloud formation, aerosol movement, and differences in microscopic ocean life over time.

PACE Celebrates National Ocean Month With Colorful Views of the Planet

Aerosols, as observed by PACE’s HARP2 and SPEXone instruments.

NASA - What do you give to an ocean that has everything? This year, for National Ocean Month, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite— is gifting us a unique look at our home planet. The visualizations created with data from the satellite, which launched on Feb. 8, are already enhancing the ways that we view our seas and skies.

Setting the PACE in Ocean Observations: NOAA Incorporating New NASA Science Mission Data into Operational Ocean Color Observations

NOAA - NOAA offers a comprehensive set of ocean color products that integrate information from NOAA, NASA, and international partner satellites. These products are used to assess water quality and monitor potentially harmful algal blooms in order to protect public health. On February 8, 2024, NASA launched the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, which is another new resource to help us better understand our oceans and climate.

New PACE Data Tutorials

EarthData - NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft recently began providing scientists with their first look at the high-resolution, hyperspectral data that so many have been anxiously waiting to see. Now that the data are flowing, the PACE team is developing a series of Jupyter notebook tutorials to guide researchers using the Python coding language to access, visualize, and analyze PACE data. These data are available through NASA’s Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC).

6 Ways Satellites are Helping to Monitor our Changing Planet from Space

European Sting - When ERS-2 came spiralling down to Earth in March, it wasn’t just another satellite burning up in the atmosphere. ERS-2 was the last surviving of two satellites scientists reverently call “grandfathers of Earth observation in Europe”.
Launched in the early 1990s by the European Space Agency (ESA), the two ERS (Earth Remote Sensing) missions offered scientists new ways of studying our planet’s atmosphere, land and oceans. This included monitoring the sea ice, deforestation, ozone levels and many other aspects relating to our planet’s health.

NASA Images that Reveal the True Colors of the Oceans

In New Zealand, as in other places shown by NASA, the coasts are surrounded by turquoise edges, a color that can be caused by the presence of sediments from the seabed, churned by waves and tides. These sediments feed populations of small algae which, in turn, are food for phytoplankton. This creates a microscopic and marine menu that gives color to the coasts of New Zealand.

MSN -The waters of the Earth can be blue, of course, but also beige. In fact there are so many hues of blue, shades of green and colors in between that one ends up being amazed by the palatte colors present. In February, NASA launched its PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite with which it has been capturing images of not just the aqueous surfaces of our planet, but also pictures that give you a whole new perspective of the Earth’s surface which can now be consulted on its website.

NASA Unveils Ocean Algal Blooms Through Satellite Imaging

National Fisherman - For decades, NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – has provided satellite images of the sea, revealing late winter and autumnal algal blooms in upwelling regions. The data was useful, to a degree, but limited. “We were getting a signal using six or seven colors from the rainbow,” says PACE project scientist Jeremy Werdell. “With the new technology, we are reading 200 different colors of the rainbow.”

NASA'S PACE Mission is Helping Scientists Understand Interactions Between Oceans, Atmosphere

news n'ne - A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the PACE mission in February this year.  After a brief commissioning period, the spacecraft has initiated operations.  The data has started flowing in, allowing scientists to examine how the oceans and atmosphere interact with each other.

High Chlorophyll a Concentrations Off the Coast of California

True-color corrected reflectance image overlaid with a layer showing high chlorophyll a concentrations off the coast of California on May 8, 2024 (indicated in colors of red/dark red). This layer provides the near-surface concentration of chlorophyll a in milligrams of chlorophyll pigment per cubic meter (mg/m3). The image was acquired by the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) aboard the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite.

The Gulf of Oman in the Middle East

earth.com - NASA launched the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 8, 2024. The mission marks a significant advancement in our ability to study Earth’s oceanic and atmospheric systems. The PACE satellite is equipped with a state-of-the-art Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), designed to capture intricate details of ocean phenomena that are often invisible to the naked eye. This technology aims to provide new insights into the complex interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere.