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Coastal Observations: a Biological Perspective

Ocean Color and Climate Change Exhibit

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."
— Jacques Cousteau

The Ocean Color and Climate Change Exhibit was created as part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center‘s Internal Research and Development (IRAD) Program's Education Component. The exhibit strives to inform the public about climate change by taking them through a historical tour of oceanographic research to our modern research methods using the remote sensing capabilities of satellite to study the Earth's oceans.

IRAD Exhibit

The Ocean Color and Climate Change exhibit at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, January 2011-December 2011.

IRAD Lite Brite

A Lite Brite-inspired display of the Chesapeake Bay region as seen from Landsat. By artist Joey Syta.

By using satellites, we can identify the “colors” of the ocean or levels of chlorophyll and phytoplankton. How phytoplankton interact with the ocean serve as an indicator of climate change. To learn more about the crucial role of phytoplankton, check out the NASA video entitled, “The Ocean‘s Green Machines“ at http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010400/a010497/index.html

Image of IRAD Panel 1 Image of IRAD Panel 2 Image of IRAD Panel 3 Image of IRAD Panel 4 Image of IRAD Panel 5

These panels represent the historical role of studying the oceans from ships to satellites and how ocean color and phytoplankton play a vital role in understanding climate change.