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 * Home
 * About
    * GET TO KNOW PACE
    * MISSION SCIENCE OBJECTIVES
    * FAQS
    * BLOG
    * INFORMATION FOR THE MEDIA
       

 * Mission
    * OVERVIEW
    * TIMELINE
    * OCEAN COLOR INSTRUMENT
    * SPEXone POLARIMETER
    * HARP2 POLARIMETER
    * Something New Under the Sun STORYMAP
    * DEVELOPMENT TEAM
    * BUILD YOUR OWN PACE!
       

 * Science
    * OVERVIEW
    * PACE PROJECT SCIENCE TEAM
    * SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS TEAM
    * GET INTO SHAPES WITH PACE
    * STORYMAPS
    * CAMPAIGNS
    * PACE BY WAVELENGTH
    * PHYTOPLANKTON EXPLORATION
       

 * Applications
    * OVERVIEW
    * COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
    * EARLY ADOPTERS
    * GET INVOLVED
    * CAPABILITY MATRIX
    * TEAM
       

 * Data
    * DATA PRODUCTS OVERVIEW
    * DATA PRODUCTS TABLE
    * GET READY TO WORK WITH PACE DATA
    * ACCESS PRELIMINARY DATA
    * INSTRUMENT CHARACTERIZATION DATA
    * OCEAN COLOR IMAGES: CATEGORIES
    * OCEAN COLOR IMAGES: INTERACTIVE MAP
    * OCEAN COLOR IMAGES: OUR FAVORITES
       

 * Learn More
    * SHEDDING LIGHT ON PACE
    * THEMATIC RESOURCES
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    * DOCUMENTS
       

 * News
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    * ALL MEDIA
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 * Documents
    * ALL DOCUMENTS
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    * PUBLICATIONS
       

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NASA LAUNCHES PACE SATELLITE »

PACE launched successfully into orbit at 1:33 a.m. EST on February 8, 2024 »


PACE PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE »

NASA holds a prelaunch briefing for its PACE mission »


SEEING EARTH FROM ABOVE »

Professional rock climber Alex Honnold and NASA oceanographer Ivona Cetinić talk
about PACE »


REVEALING A NEW DIMENSION OF ATMOSPHERIC INFO »

PACE's polarimeters will help us better understand clouds & aerosols in the
Earth system »


PACE SPACECRAFT LEAVES GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER »

Over 550 PACE friends and family met to say goodbye »


AIR (E)QUALITY »

Marcela Loría-Salazar's work is motivated by PACE's potential to meet the needs
of underserved communities with less access to air quality information »


A WORLD IN WATER »

A drop of seawater can host hundreds of species & thousands of cells… PACE is
designed to help identify them »


THE INSANELY IMPORTANT WORLD OF PHYTOPLANKTON »

Meet the "Phyto Phyters" and PACE's Science Lead for Ocean Biochemistry, Ivona
Cetinić »


A SEA OF DATA WITH PACE »

PACE will expand NASA's "ocean coloring book" from 8 crayons to 128! »


THE JOURNEY OF A CARBON ATOM »

From space, NASA's PACE mission detects carbon in the sky, land, and sea »


LIFE & WATER LEVEL »

Sensational synergies between NASA's PACE and SWOT missions »


COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE »

The PACE mission wants to engage with research and applications communities that
are interested in using PACE products for their own needs. Learn more »


LIVING OCEAN DISCOVERY »

Our advanced technology is designed to detect the diversity and composition of
phytoplankton communities »


SOCIETAL BENEFITS »

PACE data will be applied to some of our most urgent issues including air
quality and the health of our coasts »


OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE UNDERSTANDING »

PACE will extend NASA data records while shedding light on the delicate balance
between our ocean, aerosols, and clouds »




 PACE HAS LAUNCHED!

Post-launch Updates

PACE's data will help us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange
carbon dioxide. In addition, it will reveal how aerosols might fuel
phytoplankton growth in the surface ocean. Novel uses of PACE data will benefit
our economy and society. For example, it will help identify the extent and
duration of harmful algal blooms. PACE will extend and expand NASA's long-term
observations of our living planet. By doing so, it will take Earth's pulse in
new ways for decades to come.


PACE MISSION ELAPSED TIME

 * 20
   
   Days

 * 05
   
   Hours

 * 23
   
   Minutes

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WHAT'S NEW

 * 20-Feb-24Amir Ibrahim Understands the Atmosphere to Study the Ocean
   
 * 16-Feb-24Post-launch Commissioning Update
   
 * 13-Feb-24Bridget Seegers Sails the Seas and Studies Them Too!
   
 * 08-Feb-24Signal Acquired: PACE Begins Its Science Mission
   
 * 08-Feb-24NASA Launches New Climate Mission to Study Ocean, Atmosphere
   
 * 07-Feb-24Weather Clears for PACE Launch
   


ENGAGE WITH PACE


SHEDDING LIGHT ON PACE

EXPLORE PROPERTIES OF LIGHT AND COLOR IN THE OCEAN/ATMOSPHERE

Click to find out


GET INTO SHAPES WITH PACE

GET INTO SHAPES WITH PACE - A CARD MATCHING GAME

Click to find out


WHICH PHYTOPLANKTON ARE YOU?

DISCOVER WHICH OF THESE ORGANISMS IS MOST LIKE YOU

Click to find out


WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE AEROSOLS?

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT TINY PARTICLES IN THE AIR

Click to find out


SIMULATED DATA & PRE-LAUNCH INSTRUMENT CHARACTERIZATION

GET FLIGHT-LIKE DATA FOR PACE’S SCIENCE SENSORS

Click to access


PHYTOPLANKTON EXPLORATION

EXPLORE DIVERSE SPECIES THAT ARE KEY TO OCEAN HEALTH

Click to access


BUILD YOUR OWN PACE

CONSTRUCT A PAPER MODEL REPLICA OF PACE!

Click to access


PACE COLORING PAGES

USE OUR INTERACTIVE COLORING TOOL OR DOWNLOAD TO PRINT

Click to access
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 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   OCEAN ECOLOGY
   
   Our ocean teems with life and many of its most vital species are invisible to
   us. Like on land, the ocean has deserts, forests, meadows, and jungles,
   providing habitats for many forms of life. The types of life in these
   habitats is determined by microscopic algae that float in our ocean. Known as
   "phytoplankton," these tiny organisms come in many different shapes, sizes,
   and colors. The diversity of phytoplankton types determines the roles they
   play in ocean habitats. It also determines how well they capture energy from
   the sun and carbon from the atmosphere.
   
   Read More


 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   AEROSOLS & CLOUDS
   
   Small particles suspended in the atmosphere are known as aerosols. Along with
   clouds, they affect how sunlight is reflected and absorbed by the Earth and
   its atmosphere. Aerosols and clouds can interact in complex ways, which are
   not well understood. For example, cloud drops can form on aerosols and
   aerosols can be washed out of the air by rain. The overall effect of aerosols
   and clouds on climate is quite uncertain.
   
   Read More


 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   CARBON
   
   Carbon exists in forms that range from invisible gases to diamonds. Most life
   on earth is composed of carbon, as well. In the ocean, a system of physical
   and biological processes drives the transition between forms of carbon. This
   system supports life and regulates our planet's livable environment. A key
   process in the carbon system is photosynthesis and its key players are
   phytoplankton. These tiny plants and algae convert carbon dioxide gas into
   organic matter. This organic matter, in turn, supplies food and energy to
   most life forms in the food web.
   
   Read More


 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   APPLIED SCIENCES
   
   The PACE mission will provide a combination of global atmospheric and oceanic
   observations to benefit society in the areas of water resources, impact of
   disasters, ecological forecasting, human health, and air quality.
   
   PACE Applications will partner with public and private organizations on ways
   to apply data from PACE and its scientific findings in their decision-making
   activities and services, helping to improve the quality of life and
   strengthen the economy.
   
   Read More


 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   ECONOMY & SOCIETY
   
   The U.S. ocean economy contributes over $350B to the GDP (2014) and supports
   more than 3.1 million jobs (one in 45). Currently, this ocean economy,
   including the Great Lakes, is growing faster than the total U.S. economy in
   both contributions to inflation-adjusted GDP (15.6% since 2007 compared to
   5.8%) and jobs (8.1% compared to flat).
   
   PACE will be the first mission to provide measurements that enable prediction
   of the boom-bust of fisheries, the appearance of harmful algae, and other
   factors that affect commercial and recreational industries.
   
   Read More


 * WHY DO WE NEED PACE?
   
   
   SCIENCE QUESTIONS
   
    * How is Earth changing and what are the consequences for our living
      resources and food webs, such as phytoplankton and plankton?
    * What is the concentration and composition of organisms in our ocean
      ecosystems? How productive are our ocean ecosystems?
    * What are the long-term changes in aerosol and cloud properties that can be
      continued to be revealed with PACE? How are these properties correlated
      with variations in climate?
    * How are biological, geological, and chemical components of our ocean
      changing and why? How might such changes influence the Earth system?
   
   Read More

Phytoplankton provide food for small zooplankton, tiny animals that float in our
ocean. Like humans, these grazers actively select their food. In the same way,
larger zooplankton prey upon smaller zooplankton. Step by step, energy captured
from phytoplankton transfers to bigger creatures. As the energy climbs the
marine food web, it can ultimately be used by humans.

The ocean is a fluid that is constantly in motion. Hosting the largest
three-dimensional living space on earth, it supports many habitats. For example,
the North Atlantic is home to highly productive "forests" each spring. Its
blooms of carbon-rich phytoplankton fuel the fisheries of New England. The
crystal-clear waters around Florida host productive coral reefs and fisheries.
At times, however, this area is plagued by toxic phytoplankton.

Today's satellites reveal the quantity of phytoplankton at the ocean surface.
Yet we cannot detect the diversity of species. For the first time, PACE's
unprecedented technology will:

 * Reveal the diversity of phytoplankton found in our ocean on global scales;
 * Allow us to understand the role that phytoplankton diversity has on life in
   the ocean; and
 * Help us predict the "boom or bust" of fisheries along with marine hazards
   such as harmful algal blooms.


Why do we need PACE? To understand how phytoplankton diversity impacts human
life.




Aerosols such as smoke, dust, salt and sulfate absorb and reflect different
fractions of sunlight. Aerosol types and how they interact with clouds varies a
great deal from place to place and over time. Thus, we need satellites to
capture a complete and accurate picture of how much energy the Earth is
absorbing from the sun.

Aerosol data will not only be used to better understand our atmosphere but our
ocean, as well. How? Most of the light that is seen by a satellite comes from
the atmosphere and its aerosols. Only a small fraction of the light comes from
the ocean. PACE will take this into account when deciphering its ocean color
data. For PACE to accurately "see" the ocean, we must understand the aerosols
present in the atmosphere.

Aerosols and clouds control the amount of energy from the sun that is absorbed
by the earth. PACE will:
 * Determine how many aerosols there are around the globe;
 * Provide new insight into aerosol properties;
 * Monitor cloud properties, and the interaction between aerosols and clouds;
   and therefore
 * Observe fundamental components of our global climate.


In many ways, the types of phytoplankton in our ocean dictate carbon pathways.
Like falling leaves in autumn, larger phytoplankton species can sink from the
ocean surface to the sea floor. This process can effectively remove carbon from
contact with the atmosphere. Many types of phytoplankton serve as nourishing
food sources for zooplankton, tiny animals that float in our ocean. Some of the
carbon captured by zooplankton is returned to the atmosphere through
respiration. Some carbon is exported to the deeper ocean when zooplankton
migrate at night or when they excrete feces. Also, many zooplankton release
dissolved carbon in partially eaten food. Marine bacteria, another type of
plankton, use this dissolved carbon as an energy source. In doing so, they
convert dissolved carbon back into its gaseous form.

The examples above show that carbon pathways are many and diverse. Even small
changes in the ocean ecosystem can push carbon towards another route. Detecting
the diversity of plankton will help us understand how carbon moves between the
ocean and atmosphere.

Today's satellites reveal the quantity of phytoplankton at the ocean surface.
Yet we cannot detect the diversity of species. For the first time, PACE's
unprecedented technology will:
 * Reveal the diversity of phytoplankton found in our ocean on global scales;
 * Allow us to understand the role that phytoplankton diversity has on carbon
   cycling in the ocean; and
 * Help us predict the routes that carbon will take in today's ocean and
   tomorrow's.


The PACE mission will provide a combination of global atmospheric and oceanic
observations to benefit society in the areas of water resources, impact of
disasters, ecological forecasting, human health, and air quality.

PACE Applications will partner with public and private organizations on ways to
apply data from PACE and its scientific findings in their decision-making
activities and services, helping to improve the quality of life and strengthen
the economy.
PACE observations will benefit a broad spectrum of people, including:
 * Operational users in various tribal, local, state, federal, and international
   agencies
 * Policy implementers
 * Commercial sector
 * Scientists
 * Educators
 * General public


While current satellites provide essential tools for monitoring the ocean,
coasts, and Great Lakes, they cannot effectively be used to evaluate changes to
fisheries or identify harmful algae. Without PACE, we will continue to be blind
to the impacts of diversity changes in our marine resources.

PACE will also observe clouds and microscopic airborne particles known as
aerosols that scatter and absorb sunlight. Industry, the Department of Defense,
NOAA, policy makers, and scientists all rely on these key data for weather,
visibility, and air quality forecasts. Observing the ocean, clouds, and aerosols
together will reveal previously unseen interactions, including their exchange of
carbon dioxide, how some aerosols can fuel phytoplankton blooms, and how
phytoplankton can release particles to the atmosphere that lead to the formation
of clouds. These processes affect how much heat is trapped by Earth's atmosphere
and are vital to accurately predict weather and climate.

Example PACE user communities:
 * Natural and coastal resource managers focused on water quality for human
   health, commercial fishing, and disaster management
 * Researchers and Earth modelers in the fields of ocean
   biology-ecology-biogeochemistry, atmospheric aerosols, and clouds
 * Military users of ocean optical data for environment characterization and
   clouds and aerosol data for weather and visibility forecasts for regions of
   operations
 * Government agencies who will use this data to manage fisheries and to
   determine human health predictors including air and water quality
 * Renewable energy and commercial sectors with interest in environmental
   technology development, resources management tools, and environmental
   forecasting
 * Educators of the general public
 * Policy makers and economists at local, state, regional, tribal, federal, and
   international levels


Download PDF to learn more.
 * What materials are exchanged between the land and ocean? How do these
   exchanges affect life on our coasts?
 * How do tiny airborne particles and liquids – known as "aerosols" – influence
   ocean ecosystems and cycling of matter in our ocean?
 * Conversely, how do ocean processes affect our atmosphere?
 * How does our ocean's environment – and motion – affect its ecosystems and
   vice versa?
 * What is the distribution of both harmful and beneficial algal blooms? How are
   these blooms related to environmental forces?
 * How do changes in critical ocean ecosystem services affect people's health
   and welfare? How do human activities affect ocean ecosystems and services?


OUR LATEST NEWS

20-Feb-24


AMIR IBRAHIM UNDERSTANDS THE ATMOSPHERE TO STUDY THE OCEAN

Amir Ibrahim is the PACE project science lead for atmospheric correction at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Read More
13-Feb-24


PEOPLE OF PACE: BRIDGET SEEGERS SAILS THE SEAS AND STUDIES THEM TOO!

Bridget Seegers is an oceanographer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland and a team member for NASA's PACE mission. ...

Read More
08-Feb-24


NASA LAUNCHES NEW CLIMATE MISSION TO STUDY OCEAN, ATMOSPHERE

NASA's satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of
a changing climate for the benefit of humanity launched successfully ...

Read More
08-Feb-24


SIGNAL ACQUIRED: PACE BEGINS ITS SCIENCE MISSION

NASA's PACE spacecraft has successfully made contact with ground stations back
on Earth providing teams with early readings of its overall ...

Read More
View More


PACE STORYMAPS & E-BROCHURES


AIR (E)QUALITY

PACE can help improve forecasts… no matter where you live


A WORLD IN WATER

PACE is designed to ID phytoplankton communities from space


LIFE & WATER LEVEL

Sensational synergies between NASA missions


THE SAGA OF SARGASSUM

These “small grapes” can cause big problems


PACE SUPPORTS THE UN OCEAN DECADE

How PACE aligns with this effort


PUZZLING OUT WITH PACE

How land, air, ocean & time piece together


SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

Deciphering complex signals of light


THE AIR DOWN THERE

Ocean-aerosol-cloud connections

View More


LEARN MORE


AEROSOLS & CLOUDS

Connecting aerosols, clouds, and climate

Read More

Explore the complex interactions between clouds, aerosols, and the ocean and how
they impact Earth's climate

Aerosols & Clouds »


OCEAN ECOLOGY

The ocean's health starts with phytoplankton

Read More

Explore the base of the marine food web and how PACE will identify these
microscopic plants from space!

Ocean Ecology »


OCEAN COLOR

Beyond the rainbow: going hyperspectral

Read More

Explore the colors of the ocean from ultraviolet to infrared and all the visible
bands between

Ocean Color »


INSTRUMENTS

Shedding new light on our ocean and atmosphere through advanced technology

Read More

Explore the state-of-the-art instrumentation that will revolutionize the way we
see our ocean and atmosphere

Instruments »


MEDIA GALLERY


LAUNCH OF MISSION TO STUDY EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE AND...




PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE FOR NASA MISSION STUDYING EARTH’S...




OCEAN COLOR COUNTDOWN WITH PACE




SCIENCE BRIEFING ON NASA MISSION STUDYING EARTH’S...




50 YEARS OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS




PACE SPACECRAFT ENCAPSULATED IN PAYLOAD FAIRING




PROFESSIONAL ROCK CLIMBER ALEX HONNOLD TALKS NASA’S...




PACE PROPELLANT LOADING AND PRESSURIZATION PROCEDURE


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Last updated:2024-02-23