NASA Ocean Renaissance: PACE and SWOT Illuminate Ocean Color and Sea Level from Space

The podcast explores NASA's Earth science focus on the oceans, highlighting two flagship missions, PACE and SWOT, and how their instruments map ocean color and sea surface height from space to reveal phytoplankton dynamics, carbon cycling, and sea level rise. The discussion also introduces the scientists behind the missions and their broader implications for coastal communities and fisheries.

• PACE uses ocean color to identify phytoplankton communities and pigments across the globe.
• SWOT measures surface water and ocean topography to map sea level and currents at high resolution.
• Integrated observations help forecast blooms, track aerosols, and support coastal management and fisheries.
• The podcast blends science with storytelling, including Climate Elvis and real-world ocean science applications.

Overview: Oceans from Space in NASA’s Curious Universe

The podcast examines NASA's long history of ocean observation from space and introduces two pivotal missions that form the backbone of a modern ocean science renaissance. The first mission, PACE (Plankton Aerosol Cloud and Ocean Ecosystem Satellite), focuses on the color of the ocean to identify phytoplankton communities, their pigment composition, and what those colors reveal about ocean health and climate interactions. The second mission, SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), maps sea surface height across the globe to illuminate how water moves, redistributes heat, and responds to the changing climate. The host and guests discuss how color and height measurements, taken together, provide a more complete picture of how oceans regulate Earth’s climate and support life on land.

PACE: Color as a Window into Ocean Life

The core concept behind PACE is that tiny oceanic plants phytoplankton change the color of seawater in predictable ways. Different species carry distinct pigments, which absorb and reflect light in specific wavelengths. By observing across visible light and extending into UV and near infrared, the Ocean Color Instrument can infer phytoplankton composition, bloom dynamics, and related biogeochemical processes. The discussion highlights how this capability turns color into data, enabling scientists to map phytoplankton communities with unprecedented detail. The episode also explains the idea of the biosphere’s biological pump, wherein phytoplankton photosynthesis draws down carbon dioxide and, when consumed or decomposed, transports carbon to the deep ocean.

SWOT: Measuring Sea Level and Water Movement

SWOT provides a complementary perspective by measuring sea surface height with high spatial and temporal resolution. Its two radar systems enable two-dimensional mapping of the sea surface, effectively turning the ocean into a dynamic landscape. This helps scientists track currents, understand how warming water expands, and observe gravity-driven changes in ocean shape as ice sheets lose mass. The podcast explains that SWOT’s data, when paired with PACE data, reveals how heat distribution and water movements are interlinked, influencing climate feedbacks and ecosystems around the world.

From Observations to Impacts

The guests emphasize how ocean color data informs fisheries and coastal managers, such as mussel farming, by forecasting blooms and toxins that affect seafood safety. By charting pigment distributions and phytoplankton dynamics, scientists can better predict ecological shifts and potential hazards. The episode also touches on aerosols and sea salt in the atmosphere, illustrating the ocean–atmosphere connection and the broader climate system’s sensitivity to tiny particles in the air and water.

People, Voices, and the Ocean Renaissance

Beyond the science, the podcast features scientists like Kelsey Bisson and Josh Willis, whose work on pace and SWOT is framed through personal stories and public communication. The Climate Elvis segment showcases how scientists use creative approaches to communicate complex topics and engage diverse audiences. The host-podcasters discuss the personal experiences that drive these researchers to pursue climate science with clarity and compassion, underscoring the human side of large-scale Earth observation campaigns.

Concluding Thoughts

The episode closes by situating PACE and SWOT within a broader trajectory—the Ocean Renaissance—where space-based observations reveal the hidden workings of our blue planet. The podcast also directs listeners to NASA’s Earth Explore portal for more information on PACE, SWOT, and related topics, inviting a wider audience to participate in the conversation about the future of ocean science and climate action.