NASA Logo in the header
Biospheric Sciences
Operational

Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE)

PACE is NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission. It launched on February 8, 2024, extending and improving NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.

Launch Date
January 2024
Class
Flight Project
Website
Key Staffs
  • Ocean Color Atmospheric Correction Lead
  • Science Data Segment Manager
  • Science Data Segment Deputy Manager
  • Polarimeter Lead
  • Project Scientist
  • Deputy Project Scientist
  • Deputy Project Scientist
  • Instrument Scientist
  • Senior Scientist
  • Senior Scientist
  • Senior Scientist

PACE is NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission. It launched on February 8, 2024, extending and improving NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.

PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. It will also continue systematic records of key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and Earth's climate.

Related Publications

2026. "Collaborative Neural Networks significantly Improve Global Aerosol Retrievals From Multi-Angle Polarimeters.", IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 1-1 [10.1109/tgrs.2026.3685881] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Spectral Dependence of Depolarization Ratio of Pure Water.", Applied Optics, [10.1364/ao.590152] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Advancing Earth System Science With the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Satellite Mission.", Global Change Biology, 32 (4): e70869 [10.1111/gcb.70869] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Investigating Characteristic Droplet Size Distributions in Large Eddy Simulations of Stratocumulus Clouds.", Geophysical Research Letters, 52 (20): e2025GL116021 [10.1029/2025gl116021] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Investigating natural biofilms on floating marine microplastics and the implications for ocean color remote sensing.", Remote Sensing of Environment, 337 115335 [10.1016/j.rse.2026.115335] [Journal Article/Letter]