Ocean Color Image Gallery

PACE data is out!

After decades of preparations, we are excited to announce that the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission data is finally available for all to use! The PACE observatory holds the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) and two polarimeters (SpexOne and HARP-2). These instruments provide a plethora of ocean, atmospheric, and land products, which data you can now find online .

The first light imagery presented here shows a scene from the southern tip of the African continent, highlighting some ocean products from OCI. On the left panel, a true-color image shows bright plankton blooms. In the middle, we can see the first plankton diversity products from the MOANA algorithm using OCI hyperspectral data, mapping Synechococcus (pink) and picoeucaryotes (green). Finally, we can see a heritage product, chlorophyll-a concentration, which continues building on decades of ocean color observations from space. Note the absence of sun glint and striping in the image, thanks to the unique design of the instrument.

This image was captured by the OCI instrument aboard PACE on March 9th, 2024