Earth  ID: 3641

Rotating Phytoplankton 10-year Global Average

Visualizations by Adam Martin Released on October 8, 2009
The SeaWiFS instrument aboard the SeaStar satellite has been collecting ocean data since 1997. By monitoring the color of reflected light via satellite, scientists can determine how successfully plant life is photosynthesizing. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon. This animation displays the 10-year global average of nearly a decade's worth of data taken by the SeaWiFS instrument, showing the abundance of life in the sea. Dark blue represents warmer areas where there is little life due to lack of nutrients, and greens and reds represent cooler nutrient-rich areas.
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This animation depicts a rotating globe with the phytoplankton 10-year global average data set.

Visualization Credits

Adam Martin (UMBC): Lead Animator
Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC): Animator
Troy Cline (Raytheon/GSFC): Narrator
Maria Frostic (UMBC): Producer
Gene Feldman (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Michael Behrenfeld (Oregon State University): Scientist
Maria Frostic (UMBC): Writer
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, The SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye, Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye (NOTE: In January 2013, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye combined to become one DigitalGlobe.).

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3641

Mission:
Terra

Data Used:
Aqua/MODIS/Blue Marble
Credit:
The Blue Marble data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (NASA/GSFC).
view all stories where this data set is used
Terra and Aqua/MODIS/Band Combination 1, 4, 3 also referred to as: True Color
NASA - 3/2/2009
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Sea Surface Temperature-Net Primary Productivity Correlation
1999-2004
Behrenfeld at. al., Nature 444, 752-755 (7 December 2006)
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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

This item is part of these series:
Earth Science Week
Earth Science Week Phytoplankton

Keywords:
DLESE >> Biology
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Phytoplankton Blooms
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere >> Ecological Dynamics >> Photosynthesis
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere >> Microbiota Taxonomy >> Phytoplankton
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Biosphere >> Plant Taxonomy >> Phytoplankton
SVS >> Hyperwall
DLESE >> Narrated
SVS >> Voice Over Talent
SVS >> For Educators
SVS >> Food Chain
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0