Keeping the PACE with the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission

The PACE mission, scheduled to launch in Feb 2024, represents NASA’s next great investment in ocean biology, clouds, and aerosol data records to enable advanced insight into ocean and atmospheric responses to Earth’s changing climate. A key aspect of PACE is its inclusion of an advanced satellite radiometer known as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) to measure the “colors” of the ocean, land, and atmosphere. Whereas heritage instruments observe roughly six visible wavelengths from blue to red, OCI will collect a continuum of colors that span the visible rainbow from the ultraviolet to near infrared and beyond. In doing so, OCI will be the first of its kind to collect such “hyper”spectral radiometry on daily global scales, which will allow unique and highly advanced continuous identification of aquatic phytoplankton communities, as well as atmospheric aerosol, cloud, and terrestrial data products. PACE will also include two small multi-angle polarimeters that also measure “color”, but with additional capabilities to do so in multiple directions and with consideration of polarized light. Both polarimeters will substantially improve how we view our atmosphere and the interaction of airborne particles and clouds.  Overall, This PACE instrument suite will revolutionize studies of global biogeochemistry, carbon cycles, and hydrosols / aerosols in the ocean-atmosphere system.