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May 26, 2009: NASA Briefing Provides New Global View of Ocean Health.
NASA BRIEFING PROVIDES NEW GLOBAL VIEW OF OCEAN HEALTH
NASA will hold a media teleconference on Thursday, May
28, at 1 p.m. EDT, to present the first-ever global views of the
health of marine plant life.
Using a new measure of the health of phytoplankton in the world's
oceans made possible by data from NASA's Aqua satellite, scientists
have discovered new regions where marine ecosystems are under stress.
Worldwide, phytoplankton play a key role in the food chain of marine
fisheries and the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The
new results on the health and growth habits of marine plants will
help scientists improve their ability to accurately predict how Earth
will respond to future changes in climate.
Supporting information for the briefing will be available on May 28
at 12 p.m. at:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/modis_fluorescence.html
For more information about NASA and agency Earth science programs,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/index.html
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