UK sensor to illuminate understanding of phytoplankton

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NASA is to acquire ‘unprecedented’ levels of information about phytoplankton with a sensor built at Leonardo in Southampton that is onboard NASA’s PACE mission.

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Observatory inside the Space Environment Simulator (SES) thermal vacuuum chamber before thermal environmental testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on June 16th, 2023
The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Observatory inside the Space Environment Simulator (SES) thermal vacuuum chamber before thermal environmental testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on June 16th, 2023 - NASA / Denny Henry

Launched on February 8, 2024, NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission will collect information on the processes behind carbon dioxide exchange in the ocean.

Leonardo delivered sensors for the development of the Ocean Colour Instrument (OCI) onboard PACE that will help to reveal a new spectrum of colours of the ocean.

The Ocean Colour 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 the continuous measurement of light at finer wavelength resolutions and over a larger spectral range than previous NASA satellite sensors, extending key system ocean colour data records for climate studies.

Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that contribute to the conversion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean. Carbon dioxide is critical for photosynthesis, and the carbon is incorporated into phytoplankton cellular material and released as oxygen.

The sensor will indicate the density of the phytoplankton population and help NASA identify specific communities of phytoplankton that have different colour signatures. This is important since some forms of phytoplankton can be highly toxic for marine life and for humans who consume shellfish and fish.

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The colour of the ocean is determined by the interaction of sunlight with substances or particles present in seawater such as chlorophyll, a green photosynthetic pigment found in all phytoplankton species. By monitoring global phytoplankton distribution and abundance, the OCI will help in understanding the complex systems that drive ocean ecology and the diverse populations of phytoplankton that exist within it.

In a statement, Jeremy Werdell, project scientist for the PACE mission, said “All citizens of the Earth should realise everything is connected: land, ocean, and atmosphere. PACE is NASA’s next great investment in the combined studies of all these aspects of the Earth’s system.”

In 2018 Leonardo was awarded a NASA contract to develop a short wave detector with a 350um MCT (Mercury Cadmium Telluride) pixel mounted to a custom Trans Impedance Amplifier.

In 2021, NASA informed Leonardo that the performance of the detectors was exceptional and approved their use for flight as part of the OCI.

Matthew Hicks, space programme manager at Leonardo, said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to work in collaboration with the PACE team at NASA. We feel a sense of urgency in delivering this capability for their important work, since recent satellite observations have suggested a small decrease in global phytoplankton productivity.

“Low nutrient ‘marine deserts’ appear to be expanding due to rising ocean surface temperatures. It is a real source of pride that the sensors fitted to the NASA satellite could generate years of data to their scientists who could identify pathways to help us protect our oceans in the future.”

oceanic CO2 exchange