During photosynthesis, plants emit what is called fluorescence – a form of light invisible to the naked eye but detectable by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. NASA scientists established a method to turn this satellite data into global maps of the subtle phenomenon in more detail than ever before.
The new maps – produced by Joanna Joiner of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and colleagues – provide a 16-fold increase in spatial resolution and a 3-fold increase in temporal resolution over the first proof-of-concept maps released in 2011. Improved global measurements could have implications for farmers interested in early indications of crop stress, and ecologists looking to better understand global vegetation and carbon cycle processes.
\"For the first time, we are able to globally map changes in fluorescence over the course of a single month,\" Joiner said. \"This lets us use fluorescence to observe, for example, variation in the length of the growing season.\"", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345340, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11317/#media_group_345340", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "
For complete transcript, click here.", "items": [ { "id": 307159, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463666, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Frame_331.jpg", "filename": "Frame_331.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307160, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463665, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Frame_331_web.png", "filename": "Frame_331_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307161, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463664, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Frame_331_thm.png", "filename": "Frame_331_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 307150, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463656, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_1080_prores.mov", "filename": "G2013-069_1080_prores.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307151, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463661, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_1280_prores.mov", "filename": "G2013-069_1280_prores.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307152, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463658, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_youtube_hq.mov", "filename": "G2013-069_youtube_hq.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307154, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463660, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_appletv.m4v", "filename": "G2013-069_appletv.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307157, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463655, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_1280.wmv", "filename": "G2013-069_1280.wmv", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307162, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463667, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069.webmhd.webm", "filename": "G2013-069.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307165, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463668, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "filename": "G2013-069_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307153, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463659, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069.mov", "filename": "G2013-069.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 307155, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463663, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_ipod_lg.m4v", "filename": "G2013-069_ipod_lg.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 307158, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463662, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069.wmv", "filename": "G2013-069.wmv", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 720, "height": 480, "pixels": 345600 } }, { "id": 307163, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853624, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/11317-Caption_YouTube.en_US.srt", "filename": "11317-Caption_YouTube.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 307164, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853625, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/11317-Caption_YouTube.en_US.vtt", "filename": "11317-Caption_YouTube.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 307156, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463657, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/G2013-069_ipod_sm.mp4", "filename": "G2013-069_ipod_sm.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 240, "pixels": 76800 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345341, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11317/#media_group_345341", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Hi-res version of animation sequence seen in video.", "items": [ { "id": 307169, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463672, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Animation_Sequence.00001_print.jpg", "filename": "Animation_Sequence.00001_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of animation sequence seen in video.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 307166, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463669, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Animation_Sequence.mov", "filename": "Animation_Sequence.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of animation sequence seen in video.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307167, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463670, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Animation_Sequence.webm", "filename": "Animation_Sequence.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of animation sequence seen in video.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307168, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463671, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Animation_Sequence.m4v", "filename": "Animation_Sequence.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of animation sequence seen in video.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345342, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11317/#media_group_345342", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Hi-res version of Earth rotation animation with star background.", "items": [ { "id": 307172, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463675, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.00001_print.jpg", "filename": "Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.00001_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of Earth rotation animation with star background.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 307170, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463673, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.mov", "filename": "Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of Earth rotation animation with star background.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307171, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 463674, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011317/Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.webm", "filename": "Earth_Rotation_With_Star_Background.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Hi-res version of Earth rotation animation with star background.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345343, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11317/#media_group_345343", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/seeing-photosynthesis-from-space-nasa-scientists-use-satellites-to-measure-plant-health/#.UfAY01NCXy8](http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/seeing-photosynthesis-from-space-nasa-scientists-use-satellites-to-measure-plant-health/#.UfAY01NCXy8)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Tyler Chase", "employer": "UMBC" }, { "name": "Greg Shirah", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Video editor", "people": [ { "name": "Kayvon Sharghi", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Interviewee", "people": [ { "name": "Joanna Joiner", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Narration", "people": [ { "name": "Kayvon Sharghi", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Narrator", "people": [ { "name": "Kayvon Sharghi", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Kayvon Sharghi", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Joanna Joiner", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Videographer", "people": [ { "name": "Rob Andreoli", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Kathryn Hansen", "employer": "Wyle Information Systems" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [ "Seeing Photosynthesis From Space" ], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Earth" ], "keywords": [ "Earth", "Fluorescent Light", "HDTV", "Narrated" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 11583, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11583/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "NASA On Air: NASA Launches Satellite To Monitor Global Carbon Dioxide (7/1/2014)", "description": "LEAD: Where in the world is carbon dioxide? Where in the world does our carbon dioxide from fossil fuels go?1. NASA’s first carbon dioxide satellite launched today (7/1/2014), will measure which forests and plants soak up the most carbon dioxide from the air.2. The greater the absorption, the brighter the invisible fluorescence from growing plants.3. The U.S. corn belt is the most efficient CO2 absorber in the world!4. The Amazon rainforest is another carbon dioxide sponge.TAG: Knowing where our carbon dioxide goes will help crop forecasters, as well as climate scientists. Approximately one quarter of our carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by forests and vegetation. || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_960x540.0_print.jpg (1280x720) [59.9 KB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180_searchweb.png (320x180) [42.0 KB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180_web.png (320x180) [42.0 KB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180_thm.png (80x40) [3.8 KB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_1920x1080.mov (1920x1080) [604.3 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_1280x720.mov (1280x720) [727.0 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_NBC_Today.mov (1920x1080) [188.9 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_WEA_CEN.wmv (1280x720) [16.8 MB] || OCO_.avi (1280x720) [18.6 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_baron.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.3 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_prores.mov (1920x1080) [534.9 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_960x540.m4v (960x540) [61.8 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1280x720.m4v (1280x720) [95.7 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180.m4v (1920x1080) [188.9 MB] || WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_960x540.webmhd.webm (960x540) [4.9 MB] || ", "release_date": "2014-07-01T12:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:50:46.550334-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 453605, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011583/WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180_searchweb.png", "filename": "WC_OCO-1920-MASTER_iPad_1920x0180_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "LEAD: Where in the world is carbon dioxide? Where in the world does our carbon dioxide from fossil fuels go?1. NASA’s first carbon dioxide satellite launched today (7/1/2014), will measure which forests and plants soak up the most carbon dioxide from the air.2. The greater the absorption, the brighter the invisible fluorescence from growing plants.3. The U.S. corn belt is the most efficient CO2 absorber in the world!4. The Amazon rainforest is another carbon dioxide sponge.TAG: Knowing where our carbon dioxide goes will help crop forecasters, as well as climate scientists. Approximately one quarter of our carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by forests and vegetation. ", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 11322, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11322/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Blushing Botanicals", "description": "A healthy plant is a glowing plant. That's because healthy plants that engage in photosynthesis—convert sunlight to energy—also emit fluorescent light. It's the same physical process that makes everyday objects glow in the dark. While human eyes are unable to detect the faint glow from plants, satellites hundreds of miles above Earth are up to the task. A team of researchers led by NASA scientists identified the fluorescence fingerprint in data collected by an instrument on a European meteorological satellite. A visualization of the data, released in 2013, allows scientists for the first time to see global changes in terrestrial plant fluorescence over the course of a month. That means a front-row seat to track the northward migration of plant blooming during the Northern Hemisphere springtime, as well as the shut down in fall—even before changing leaf colors indicate a seasonal shift is amiss. Watch the visualization for a tour of plant fluorescence around the world. || ", "release_date": "2013-08-13T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:51:55.859030-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 463045, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011322/cover-1024.jpg", "filename": "cover-1024.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A glow emanates from Earth's thriving land plants.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 4086, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4086/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Fluorescence Visualizations in High-Resolution", "description": "During photosynthesis, plants emit fluorescence – a form of light invisible to the naked eye but detectable by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. NASA scientists established a method to turn this satellite data into global maps of the subtle phenomenon in more detail than ever before. The new maps, released in 2013, provide a 16-fold increase in spatial resolution and a 3-fold increase in temporal resolution over the first proof-of-concept maps released in 2011. This lets scientists use fluorescence to observe, for example, variation in the length of the growing season.A visualization of the phenomenon shows global land plant fluorescence data collected from 2007 to 2011, combined to depict a single average year. Gray indicates regions with little or no fluorescence; red, pink and white indicate regions of high fluorescence. || ", "release_date": "2013-07-24T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:51:59.432512-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 464101, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004086/final_shot_1_fluor.1300.jpg", "filename": "final_shot_1_fluor.1300.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Land plant fluorescence across North America and South America", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }