CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA will be taking images of bodies of water on Earth and using that information and data to predict how healthy, or unhealthy, water surfaces are.
NASA is elevating what it means to take photos of Earth. The newly launched satellite is a game-changer, according to the agency.
They’ll be taking images of bodies of water, and that information and data will then be used to predict how healthy, or unhealthy, water surfaces are.
The program is called PACE, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud ocean Ecosystem mission.
“PACE is going to see earth in a way we’ve never seen before, in so many different colors,” Ivona Cetinic, an oceanographer with NASA’s PACE, said. “I’m hoping this data will get to everybody and help them understand how beautiful our home planet is.”
NASA said this will enhance how they study water and the environment, including algae blooms and red tide, which are issues found in South Florida.
WPTV’s Victor Jorges spoke with an oceanographer on the program about the benefits we’ll see here in South Florida.
“You guys, this area, know bad. The signs of bacterial blooms, the algae blooms, in Lake Okeechobee, and then on the other side, you have red tides. On both sides of Florida, you’re getting hit on the freshwater side, and the saltwater side,” Cetinic said. “Understating when these blooms are happening at an early stage, that can really help local health, local economy, and so much more, and that’s what pace will be able to do.”
This isn’t the first time NASA does something like this, but Cetinic said this new technology is 20 to 30 times better than previous versions.
Based on the different shades of blue on the imaging, they can get an idea of what’s going on in the water, and predict any environmental issues, said Cetinic.
They expect to start collecting and sharing data about two months into the mission, and they said the new satellites have enough fuel to collect data for over a decade.
“This is the only home planet we have,” she said. “In order to be able to live in it, we have to understand how it functions, and we have to understand how it functions in a changing climate.”