In honor of the Earth Day celebration, NASA scientists unveiled the first consistent and continuous global measurements of Earths "metabolism." Data from the Terra and Aqua satellites are helping scientists frequently update maps of the rate at which plant life on Earth is absorbing carbon out of the atmosphere.
Combining space-based measurements of a range of plant properties collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with a suite of other satellite and surface-based measurements, NASA scientists produce composite maps of our worlds "net primary production" every 8 days. This new measurement is called net production because it indicates how much carbon dioxide is taken in by vegetation during photosynthesis minus how much is given off during respiration. Scientists expect this global measure of the biological productivity of plants to yield new insights into how the Earths carbon cycle works, a critical step toward solving the climate change puzzle.
The rate of carbon fixation through photosynthesis is a basic property of life on planet Earth. It is the basis for capturing and storing the energy that fuels our worlds living systems and forms the foundation of the food webs. The oxygen we breathe is a byproduct of this photosynthesis. According to its creators, these new net primary productivity maps provide a fascinating new insight into the intimate connection between the living world and the physical world.
David Herring | EurekAlert!
Further information:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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