SeaWiFS Boreal Summer Composite
August 05, 2002
Provided by: NASA/GSFC, ORBIMAGE, SeaWiFS Project
Summary authors & editors: Gene Feldman ; Jim Foster
The SeaWiFS satellite recently completed its 5th year of Earth observations. SeaWiFS was launched on August 1, 1997 and has provided scientists with the first, multi-year record of our changing planet as reflected in the life that inhabits this place that we call home. Through these observations, we can look at the Earth in a more complete way and begin to unravel the mystery of how all the living systems on the Earth interconnect. There is no question that the Earth is changing. SeaWiFS has enabled us for the first time to monitor the biological consequences of the changes - to see how the things we do, and how natural variability, affect the Earth's ability to support life.
On this composite image made from June - September (1998-2001), on the land surfaces the colors represent differences in biomass - white is ice (no biomass) and dark green represents the most biomass. Over the oceans the colors represent differences in chlorphyll (an indicator of phytoplankton biomass) - purple and blue represents the least chlorophyll and red and orange the most.
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