A green ocean

January 8th, 2010 by Ari Daniel Shapiro | Filed in Ocean Gazing Podcast
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The global biosphere, a map of chlorophyll on land and in the ocean. Credit: SeaWiFS Project/NASA.

The global biosphere, a map of chlorophyll on land and in the ocean. Credit: SeaWiFS Project/NASA.

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You might not think it, but NASA doesn’t just study distant stars and galaxies. It’s also keeping watch over our own planet.

NASA’s Gene Feldman adds, “Ultimately we’re measuring life on Earth. What can be more significant than monitoring the very life of this planet?”

Feldman uses satellites to monitor and study the oceans. And the work that he and his colleagues are doing has revolutionized our understanding of life on Earth. Have a listen.

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Download the audio.

Script for Episode 25

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Send us your guess for the Sonic Stumper or your questions for Gene Feldman:

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Photos

Gene Feldman explaining his science to an audience. Credit: NASA/GSFC.

Gene Feldman explaining his science to an audience. Credit: NASA/GSFC.
Global SeaWiFS biosphere data above the Americas. Credit: SeaWiFS Project/NASA.

Global SeaWiFS biosphere data above the Americas. Credit: SeaWiFS Project/NASA.
Former VP Al Gore with SeaWiFS biosphere in lower right. Credit: Gene Feldman.

Former VP Al Gore with SeaWiFS biosphere in lower right. Credit: Gene Feldman.

Web Resources

Gene Feldman’s homepage
ClimateCrisis, the website for the film “Inconvenient Truth”

Hear Gene Feldman describe:

What fishing with his grandfather as a kid has to do with his career now

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Another photograph of great significance that SeaWiFS took

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Videos


SeaWiFS biosphere data over the North Atlantic. Animation depicting nearly a decade’s worth of SeaWiFS ocean chlorophyll concentration and land Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. Animator: Alex Kekesi; Scientists: Gene Feldman and Michael Behrenfeld

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This animation begins by slowly spinning the earth around until settling over the North Pacific. Animators: Alex Kekesi and Lori Perkins; Scientists: Gene Feldman and Michael Behrenfeld

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3 Responses to “A green ocean”

  1. Coloring the ocean green « ari daniel shapiro | 8/01/10

    [...] What color would you paint the oceans on our planet? Blue? Try green. At least that’s what a NASA satellite 450 miles above our heads is telling us to do. Check out the new Ocean Gazing podcast. [...]

  2. Liesl Hotaling Liesl Hotaling | 13/01/10

    Thank you again Ari, great story. And thank you for providing the wonderful video links, a great classroom resource!
    Liesl

  3. Ari Daniel Shapiro Ari Daniel Shapiro | 13/01/10

    Thanks, Liesl! Yes, those videos *are* fantastic. I was delighted that Gene Feldman let us upload them to YouTube and link to them.

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