PACE

Two instruments on NASA’s upcoming PACE satellite mission will look at aerosols and clouds – the A and C in the mission’s name, Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem – to help scientists learn more about their characteristics and interactions in Earth’s systems.PACE’s instruments that will help scientists view features of Earth’s atmosphere are polarimeters, which measure light properties. There are characteristics of light that we can see with our eyes, such as color, but others that are invisible to the human eye, like what scientists call polarization. ||

Music: "Eternal Hope," "Power of Night," Universal Production Music"Also Sprach Zarathustra," Composed by Richard Strauss, Performed by the United States Marine Band"PACE Fanfare," Composed by Gunnery Sergeant Scott Ninmer, Performed by the United States Marine BandRecorded sound courtesy of the U. S. Marine Band®. Use of the recorded sound does not constitute or imply endorsement by the Department of Defense, U. S. Marine Corps, or U. S. Marine Band®.The terms U. S. Marine Band® and “The President’s Own®” are trademarks of the U. S. Marine Corps, used with permission.The other works requested for use in this project are free and clear of any underlying copyright encumbrances and are in the public domain.Neither the Marine Corps nor the Marine Band accept any responsibility for any use of Marine Band sound other than our own distribution.Complete transcript available. || PACE_USMB_thumb_v1.png (1280x720) [1.2 MB] || PACE_USMB_thumb_v1_print.jpg (1024x576) [176.6 KB] || PACE_USMB_thumb_v1_searchweb.png (320x180) [99.3 KB] || PACE_USMB_thumb_v1_thm.png (80x40) [7.8 KB] || PACE_USMB_YT_HD.mp4 (1920x1080) [363.2 MB] || PACE_USMB_prores.mov (3840x2160) [11.9 GB] || PACE_USMB_YT_4K.mp4 (3840x2160) [894.9 MB] || PACE_USMB.en_US.srt [2.3 KB] || PACE_USMB.en_US.vtt [2.2 KB] || PACE_USMB_YT_4K.webm (3840x2160) [62.0 MB] ||

Music: "Born to Hold On," "Busy Body," "Hidden Beings," "In Doubt," "Investigation," Universal Production MusicComplete transcript available.Video descriptions available. || Phyto_thumb.png (1920x1080) [5.3 MB] || Phyto_thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [333.1 KB] || Phyto_thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [120.8 KB] || Phyto_thumb_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || Phytoplankton_YT.mp4 (1920x1080) [219.4 MB] || Phytoplankton_prores.mov (1920x1080) [4.8 GB] || Phytoplankton_prores.webm (1920x1080) [39.3 MB] || Phytoplankton.en_US.srt [8.1 KB] || Phytoplankton.en_US.vtt [7.7 KB] ||

Music: "Natural Time Cycles," "Anywhere But Here," "Discovering New Things," Universal Production MusicComplete transcript available.Video Descriptions available. || PACE_MissionOverview_thumb.png (1280x720) [882.6 KB] || PACE_MissionOverview_thumb_print.jpg (1024x576) [141.5 KB] || PACE_MissionOverview_thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [77.5 KB] || PACE_MissionOverview_thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || PACE_SeasofData_YT.mp4 (1920x1080) [433.1 MB] || PACE_SeasofData_prores.mov (1920x1080) [3.6 GB] || PACE_SeasofData_prores.webm (1920x1080) [29.4 MB] || PACE_MissionOverview.en_US.srt [5.6 KB] || PACE_MissionOverview.en_US.vtt [5.4 KB] ||

Music: "On the Trail," "Idle at Midnight," "Synthetic Comfort," Universal Production MusicComplete transcript available.Video descriptive text available.The following footage is provided by pond5.com through licensing and may not be excised: 00:00-00:12, 01:03-01:13, 01:15-01:23, 01:37-01:45, 02:07-02:21, 03:31-03:34, 03:43-03:47, 04:06-04:19, and 04:36-04:46 || PACE_Fire_thumb_print.jpg (1024x523) [95.6 KB] || PACE_Fire_thumb.png (3168x1620) [5.4 MB] || PACE_Fire_thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [75.2 KB] || PACE_Fire_thumb_thm.png (80x40) [6.7 KB] || PACE_Fires_Carbon_prores.mov (1920x1080) [4.9 GB] || PACE_Fires_Carbon.mp4 (1920x1080) [370.0 MB] || PACE_Fires_Carbon_prores.webm (1920x1080) [40.0 MB] || PACE_Fires.en_US.srt [7.7 KB] || PACE_Fires.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] ||

Aerosols are small solid or liquid particles suspended in the air that affect climate change directly throuhg interaction with solar radiation. Aerosols affect climate indirectly by changing the micro-and macro- physical properties of clouds. Scientists who study climate change rely on detailed data to properly characterize the the amount of radiative forcing that aerosols cause. SPEXone is a new instrument designed to pursue that data with superb accuracy. It's a polarimeter, intended to measure the intensity, Degree of Linear Polarization (DoLP) and Angle of Linear Polarization (AoLP) of sunlight reflected back from Earth's atmosphere, land surface, and ocean. Built by engineers at The Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands (Airbus DS NL), SPEXone will fly on the PACE spacecraft as one of that mission's suite of sensors. ||

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will deliver the most comprehensive look at global ocean color measurements in NASA's history. Not only will PACE monitor the health of our ocean, its science data will expand atmospheric studies by sensing our skies over an exceptionally broad spectrum of wavelengths. A strategic climate continuity mission in support of NASA's Plan for a Climate-Centric Architecture for Earth Observations and Applications from Space (2010), PACE wil monitor aerosol particles, clouds, and many factors related to the marine carbon cycle including the phytoplankton pigment, chlorophyll. Moreover, PACE applications will help with many of our most pressing environmental issues such as harmful algal bloom and air quality forecasts. ||

Red tides can come from harmful algal blooms near shore for a variety of reasons. PACE will help scientists monitor red tides. || TWITTER_720-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.01000_print.jpg (1024x576) [177.1 KB] || APPLE_TV-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.m4v (1280x720) [42.0 MB] || FACEBOOK_720-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.mp4 (1280x720) [106.7 MB] || LARGE_MP4-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo_large.mp4 (1920x1080) [73.8 MB] || TWITTER_720-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.mp4 (1280x720) [18.0 MB] || WEBM-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.webm (960x540) [29.5 MB] || YOUTUBE_1080-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.mp4 (1920x1080) [134.6 MB] || YOUTUBE_720-PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.mp4 (1280x720) [138.2 MB] || PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.en_US.srt [587 bytes] || PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo.en_US.vtt [600 bytes] || PACE_Red_Tide_w_logo_lowres.mp4 (480x272) [10.0 MB] ||

Jeremy Werdell, oceanographer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, discusses the importance of microscopic plankton in the global carbon cycle. With his colleagues, Jeremy is working to answer important questions about how much carbon dioxide the oceans are absorbing, and how that might change in the future.For complete transcript, click here.Music credit: Molecular by Mark Hawkins || Jeremy_Werdell_Poster-notext.jpg (1280x720) [202.1 KB] || Jeremy_Werdell_Poster-notext_searchweb.png (320x180) [67.1 KB] || Jeremy_Werdell_Poster-notext_thm.png (80x40) [14.4 KB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER_prores.mov (1280x720) [633.4 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER_youtube_hq.mov (1280x720) [185.2 MB] || Jeremy_Werdell_Carbon_Climate.mp4 (1280x720) [44.2 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [20.4 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER.mpeg (1280x720) [146.5 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER.webm (960x540) [17.5 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [20.4 MB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell-captions.en_US.srt [1015 bytes] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell-captions.en_US.vtt [1.0 KB] || 12066_Jeremy_Werdell_MASTER_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [7.5 MB] ||

PACE's primary sensor, the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), is a highly advanced optical spectrometer that will be used to measure properties of light over portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It will enable continuous measurement of light at finer wavelength resolution than previous NASA satellite sensors, extending key system ocean color data records for climate studies.The color of the ocean is determined by the interaction of sunlight with substances or particles present in seawater such as chlorophyll, a green pigment found in most phytoplankton species. By monitoring global phytoplankton distribution and abundance with unprecedented detail, the OCI will help us to better understand the complex systems that drive ocean ecology. || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.00960_print.jpg (1024x576) [146.2 KB] || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.00960_searchweb.png (320x180) [109.4 KB] || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.00960_thm.png (80x40) [7.7 KB] || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.00960_web.png (320x180) [109.4 KB] || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.mp4 (1920x1080) [82.8 MB] || 041320-OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.webm (1920x1080) [11.1 MB] || 041320OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.en_US.srt [1.7 KB] || 041320OCI_Package_FINAL_MP4.en_US.vtt [1.7 KB] ||

This is a collection of raw footage of the integration and testing of the instruments and spacecraft for the Plankton, Aerosols, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. ||

PACE orbiting the Earth showing OCI, HARP2, and SPEXone instument fields of view followed by instrument ground swath patterns || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_HD.09000_print.jpg (1024x576) [110.6 KB] || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_HD.09000_searchweb.png (320x180) [72.6 KB] || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_HD.09000_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_HD_1080p59.94.mp4 (1920x1080) [70.0 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_60p/ (1920x1080) [768.0 KB] || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_HD_1080p59.94.webm (1920x1080) [20.3 MB] || pace_orbit_swath.42_FINAL_4K_2160p59.94.mp4 (3840x2160) [269.9 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/ (3840x2160) [512.0 KB] || frames/9600x3240_16x9_30p/ (9600x3240) [768.0 KB] ||

The visualization starts close on the PACE spacecraft. A representative data swath is shown, depicting biosphere plankton data. The camera then pulls out to show the spacecraft's polar orbit. Complete global coverage is achieved after approximately two days of orbits. Over time, the data swath cycles between biosphere, aerosol, and cloud data, representing PACE's collective mission to study Earth's ocean and atmosphere. This version end with animated biosphere data. || pace_v2_4k_0245_print.jpg (1024x576) [36.4 KB] || pace_v2_4k_0245_searchweb.png (320x180) [39.7 KB] || pace_v2_4k_0245_thm.png (80x40) [3.7 KB] || pace_v3_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [30.0 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/pace_comp3_animated-biosphere/ (3840x2160) [128.0 KB] || pace_v3_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [94.4 MB] || pace_v3_2160p30.webm (3840x2160) [19.1 MB] ||

Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web and are crucial players in the Earth's carbon cycle. They are also incredibly diverse. This visualization shows dominant phytoplankton types from 1994-1998 generated by the Darwin Project using a high-resolution ocean and ecosystem model. The model contains flow fields from 1994-1998 (generated by the ECCO2 model), inorganic nutrients, 78 species of phytoplankton, zooplankton, as well as particulate and dissolved organic matter. Colors represent the most dominant type of phytoplankton at a given location based on their size and ability to uptake nutrients. Red represents diatoms (big phytoplankton, which need silica), yellow represents flagellates (other big phytoplankton), green represents prochlorococcus (small phytoplankton that cannot use nitrate), and cyan represents synechococcus (other small phytoplankton). Opacity indicates concentration of the carbon biomass.A key part of the Darwin Project is developing theoretical and numerical models of the marine ecosystems. The data shown here are from a simulation of the Darwin model in a physical run of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model by the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) group. The model provides a laboratory to explore the controls on biodiversity and the biogeography of different phytoplankton species. In particular, the role of the swirls and filaments (mesoscale features) appear important in maintaining high biodiversity in the ocean. ||

The latest 2.5 years of Biosphere data with date annotations. || nrtbio_print.jpg (1024x512) [205.4 KB] || nrtbio_searchweb.png (320x160) [90.4 KB] || nrtbio_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || frames/4096x2048_2x1_30p/Plate_Carree_with_Dates/ (4096x2048) [64.0 KB] || nrtbio_annot_plate_2048p30.mp4 (4096x2048) [106.5 MB] ||

This visualization, derived using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, shows a daily running weighted 31 day average of sea surface chlorophyll from January 2010 through May 2016. The MODIS data have also been smoothed with a spatial filter to fill in areas of missing data caused by clouds. The second image below shows a typical day's worth of data from one MODIS instrument. In addition to gaps caused by the instrument's scan width, there are many areas where clouds obstruct its view of the ocean. To make a movie of ocean color that plays more smoothly, the missing values are filled in with averages from pixels nearby in space or time. For this visualization, data from up to +-15 days and up to 2 degrees away spatially were used to fill in missing values. Pixels closer in time or space are given more weight in the average to prevent the result from appearing too smoothed. Even with this relatively large amount of data filling, there are still areas with missing data - for example over the Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon. The source data for this visualization are the daily MODIS Chlorophyll concentration files available at oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Left: Older Darwin model of global ocean microbiome showing no drop-off of Prochlorococcus populations in arctic regions.Right: New Darwin model, updated to show interactions between heterotrophic bacteria and shared grazer, which prevents Prochlorococcus habitat extending poleward. || seaflow_x4_2-26d_comp.01620_print.jpg (1024x576) [259.0 KB] || seaflow_x4_2-26d_comp.01620_searchweb.png (320x180) [79.6 KB] || seaflow_x4_2-26d_comp.01620_thm.png (80x40) [5.6 KB] || seaflow_x4_2-26d_comp.mp4 (1920x1080) [407.3 MB] || seaflow_x4_2-26d_comp.webm (1920x1080) [12.7 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/ (1920x1080) [256.0 KB] || seaflowOverviewCOMP_4k_4-5-2022a_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [863.7 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] ||

Animation of global aerosols from August 1, 2019 to January 29, 2020 || australia_fire_smoke_print.jpg (1024x576) [184.6 KB] || australia_fire_smoke.png (3840x2160) [8.2 MB] || australia_fire_smoke_searchweb.png (320x180) [104.5 KB] || australia_fire_smoke_thm.png (80x40) [7.7 KB] || australia_fire_smoke_1080p.mp4 (1920x1080) [228.5 MB] || australia_fire_smoke_720p.webm (1280x720) [11.3 MB] || australia_fire_smoke_2160p.mp4 (3840x2160) [688.8 MB] || frames/10080x5043_2x1_60p/AerosolFrames/ (10080x5043) [512.0 KB] || frames/5760x3240_16x9_60p/AerosolFrames/ (5760x3240) [512.0 KB] ||

PACE is NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, currently in the design phase of mission development. It is scheduled to launch in 2022, extending and improving NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds. PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. It will also continue systematic records of key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and Earth's climate. ||