Since the launch of the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) satellite last February 2024, NASA has initiated its major validation campaign called PACE-PAX(Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment) to ensure that the satellite’s data on the oceans and atmosphere are accurate.
The objective of the PACE satellite data collection
The main objective of the project is to verify the data that the PACE satellite collects from orbit by comparing it with measurements taken from the Earth’s surface and from aircraft and ships. This is important to ensure the reliability of the data and to guarantee that they are useful for climate research. The satellite has played an essential role in studying marine biology, atmospheric aerosols and clouds, and their impact on global systems.
For example, through its Ocean Color Instrument(OCI), phytoplankton, which are vital to marine life, as well as measuring atmospheric aerosols that affect global climate. The validated data will help answer questions about ocean health, air quality and how these systems interact with climate change.
The PACE-PAX mission has sophisticated instrumentation. NASA’s ER-2 aircraft will carry several devices, such as the SPEXAirborne and AirHARP polarimeters, which are airborne versions of the instruments aboard the satellite. It also carries two spectrometers: The“Portable Remote Imaging SpectroMeter” and the“Pushbroom Imager for Cloud and Aerosol Research and Development,” which measure visible light and are key to calibrating satellite measurements.
Algorithm tuning and validation
In addition, the Twin Otter aircraft will collect data from the atmosphere at lower altitudes, such as cloud droplet size and aerosols, while the NOAA research vessel Shearwater will collect ocean samples, including phytoplankton, to validate PACE hyperspectral observations.
Validation will allow fine-tuning of the algorithms that analyze the satellite data. Although the satellite is already in orbit and cannot be physically adjusted, scientists can fine-tune the algorithms to improve the accuracy of their data. As Ivona Cetinic, project scientist, explained,“The ocean and atmosphere are changing environments, so it is important to validate what the satellite observes.”
PACE-PAX team members, from left to right, Cecile Carlson, Adam Ahern(NOAA), Dennis Hamaker(NPS), Luke Ziemba and Michael Shook(NASA Langley Research Center).
Source: Judy Alfter/NASA
The goal of PACE will continue to provide data to understand the health of oceanic and atmospheric ecosystems and how they influence climatology. The mission will validate the use of hyperspectral remote sensing to improve climate predictions and address challenges such as ocean acidification and air quality.
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Source and photo: NASA
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