NASA's PACE reads the color of the ocean to track phytoplankton, the base of the marine food web, plus aerosols and clouds.
Image: NASA/KSC.
A satellite whose hyperspectral Ocean Color Instrument measures light from ultraviolet to near-infrared.
Source: NASA, PACE launch
Orbiting 676 km (420 mi) above Earth, circling the planet about every 98.3 minutes.
Source: NASA, PACE mission
Phytoplankton feed ocean life and help move carbon; tracking them shows how the ocean and climate are changing.
Source: NASA, PACE mission
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PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) launched on February 8, 2024. Its hyperspectral Ocean Color Instrument tracks phytoplankton, tiny organisms that start the marine food web and drive the ocean's carbon cycle, and it shows how aerosols may feed their growth.
Source: NASA, PACE launch
Source: NASA, PACE mission
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