NASA’s Spot Plankton fought from space to help save North Atlantic right whale

The North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) is one of the most severely endangered mammals in the Earth. While commercial whaling is no longer a threat to them, fishing gear and casual entangle in the ship strike eats for lots of Narw deaths. Researchers are tracking their movements to prevent them by mapping their primary food source, which is a radish plancutonic copopod called calanus finmachicus. Using NASA satellite data, he found a way to detect the calanus herd on the surface of the ocean in the bay of animals, which lifted on the natural red pigment of the animals. This new approach can help understand the migration pattern of NARW based on those copy meetings.

Understanding the pattern

according to a New studyIt uses data from the point of view Moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (modis) Riding in NASA’s Aqua satellite. The modis instrument reads how the spectrum of sunlight reflected by the sea surface changes in response to what is in water.

Astaxanthin, red colored pigments of copopods, change the absorption or disintegration of photons in the sea, affecting the mixture of living and non-living substances, allowing modis to detect changes in color when a large number of zoplankatone arises on the surface.

Researchers tested a satellite-based copod detection technique in the Norwegian Seize a few years ago. The Gulf of Main, an important feeding place for the right whale during their northern journey, is now a matter of better functioning of some similar scientists. They can estimate the number of micro -organisms and create better photos that show the calanus herd on the sea surface by integrating satellite data, a model and field comments.

Ocean observation future

The efficiency of Modis is limited as it detects the red pigment of the coopods instead of the organism. This leaves the possibility of false detection of other small red animals. Cloud covers, rough sea, or deep herds are limited that can present satellites.

NASA’s next generation speed (plankton, aerosol, cloud, ocean ecosystem) launched in Satellite-2024-is ready to improve the detection of the zoplankton and phytoplankton.

The pace mission uses sea color tools, detecting more than 280 wavelengths of light, which provides better insight into the color and plankton types of the sea.