Oh buoy! Curtin Uni And NASA Unlock Ocean Secrets From Space
Curtin University in Perth has joined forces with NASA, the University of Miami, San José State University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
On a new-generation satellite mission to study the colour of the ocean from space, providing vital information about ocean health and its role in climate regulation.
Researchers recently deployed a 15-metre-tall buoy off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, as part of a new project to ensure the data quality for NASA’s newly launched Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, Ocean Ecosystems – or PACE – satellite mission.
Professor David Antoine, head of Curtin’s Remote Sensing and Satellite Research Group in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the new optical system, known as MarONet – or the Marine Optical Network, deployed near WA’s Rottnest Island will play a critical role in verifying – or ‘ground-truthing’ – PACE’s satellite observations.