{"id":1493,"date":"2025-09-10T15:32:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planktonplanet.org\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:52:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:52:50","slug":"planktoscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planktonplanet.org\/gb\/2025\/09\/10\/planktoscape\/","title":{"rendered":"PlanktoSpace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PlanktoSpace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Plankton<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bloom of sparkling Noctiluca in the Arabian Sea (17 February 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PlanktoSpace<\/strong> is a program for collecting plankton samples using recreational sailing boats, funded by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency). Its goal is ambitious: to deploy tools on board citizen vessels in order to identify a link between plankton biodiversity and satellite observations of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to correlate the plankton composition of surface waters with the color of the ocean as seen from above, measured by satellite. If this approach succeeds, it will make it possible to monitor plankton biodiversity from space, paving the way for a true global system for tracking the health of the oceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Plankton<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Satellite measurements of the ocean<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first attempts to link existing plankton genetic data with hyperspectral measurements of ocean color are promising, but they are limited by the scarcity of data synchronized with satellite overpasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that samples match satellite measurements, they must be taken offshore, under clear skies, and around local noon. In PlanktoSpace, we mainly work with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n