RELEASE NO: 97-124P

GLOBAL VIEW: This photo shows the first 24-hours of data from Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) taken on Sept. 16, 1997. The red colors show high concentrations of chlorophyll in the water, the yellows/greens indicate intermediate concentrations of chlorophyll and the blues/purples show low concentrations of chlorophyll. Where there are black swaths this indicates there is no data due to gaps between the orbits. SeaWiFS observes the Earth from a noontime sun-synchronous orbit which means that the sensor is always viewing the Earth around local noon at an altitude of 440 miles (705 kilometers). This orbit provides data at the maximum solar illumination most desirable for detecting concentrations of microscopic green plants, called phytoplankton, which live just beneath the ocean surface. These green plants absorb sunlight during photosynthesis, the most basic and essential chemical process necessary for live on Earth. The gaps between the swaths of data are filled the following day, thus providing complete global coverage every two days. Nearly complete cloud-free coverage is achieved over the course of about one week as cloud patterns shift. SeaWiFS data will allow routine assessment of global vegetation patterns, both land and ocean, needed to understand the world's ecosystems and global change. The SeaWiFS instrument will observe the world's oceans from space to measure "ocean color." SeaWiFS is an essential component of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, an ongoing effort to study how the global environment is changing. Using the unique perspective available from space, NASA will observe, monitor and assess large-scale environmental processes, such as the oceans' productivity, focusing on climate change.

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PHOTO CREDIT: NASA, or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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