NASA’s PACE-PAX Campaign Validates Satellite Data Crucial for Climate Science

In an extraordinary display of scientific coordination, NASA Earth scientists have taken to the skies and the seas to initiate a rigorous validation campaign for the data retrieved from the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite launched in February 2024. This campaign, designed to bolster our understanding of the Earth’s ecosystems and their interactions, is a pioneering effort to ensure the satellite’s data on the ocean and atmosphere are precise and reliable.

The PACE satellite provides key observations of our planet's oceans, along with atmospheric particles and cloud properties, aiding scientists and policymakers to gauge the health of Earth's surfaces and interactions therein. Validating this data through PACE-PAX (PACE Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment) is thus central to fortifying the integrity of PACE's insights.

This extensive validation endeavor, undertaken throughout September 2024, involves over 100 scientists working across California, from Marina to Santa Barbara, and the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. Alongside, the use of aircraft and NOAA research vessels like the Shearwater plays a crucial role in collecting oceanic biological data and atmospheric properties.

Aboard these vessels, experts analyze phytoplankton varieties and their relative abundance in the ocean — aspects PACE’s hyperspectral Ocean Color Instrument measures from space. The aircraft involved, including the Twin Otter and NASA's high-altitude ER-2 plane, mirror the satellite's capabilities, recording cloud droplet sizes, aerosol dimensions, and light scattering. The ER-2, flying at approximately 70,000 feet, even carries prototypes of PACE's polarimeter instruments, ensuring a detailed approximation of the satellite's measurements.

Upon campaign completion, the gathered data from these diverse platforms — ocean surface, lower and higher atmospheric altitudes — will be meticulously compared to the observations recorded by PACE. This comparison will enable scientists to confirm the satellite’s accuracy and fine-tune the algorithms required to decode PACE data.

Aside from ensuring data precision, this campaign signifies a climacteric moment in environmental research. The insights derived from PACE stand as a vital component in understanding climate dynamics and shaping crucial climate response strategies. The imperative to accurately monitor the atmosphere and oceans, given their dynamism and susceptibility to climatic shifts, cannot be overstressed.

In conclusion, while the satellite itself may no longer be subject to physical adjustments post-launch, campaigns such as PACE-PAX empower NASA scientists to refine the tools used to interpret its data — a quintessential step towards providing accurate, actionable intelligence on our rapidly changing planet.