Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42017204›Full record

ReviewGlobal change biology2026

Advancing Earth System Science With the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Satellite Mission.

P Jeremy Werdell, Brian Cairns, Skyelar A Caplan, Ivona Cetinić, Sean R Foley, Bryan A Franz, Meng Gao, Zachary T Fasnacht, K Fred Huemmrich, Amir Ibrahim and 6 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Global change biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

P Jeremy WerdellNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3592-0152
Brian CairnsNASA, Goddard Institute of Space Studies, New York, New York, USA.
Skyelar A CaplanNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Ivona CetinićNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Sean R FoleyNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Bryan A FranzNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Meng GaoNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Zachary T FasnachtNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
K Fred HuemmrichUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Amir IbrahimNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Kirk D KnobelspiesseNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Antonio ManninoNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Lachlan I W McKinnaNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Carina PoulinNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Chamara RajapaksheNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Andrew M SayerNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.

Funding

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Mission
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Earth observation satellites transform our understanding of Earth's biological, atmospheric, and surface systems. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, launched in 2024, represents NASA's latest investment in multidisciplinary Earth system science, building upon multi-decadal heritage while introducing revolutionary capabilities. Since launch, PACE has extended and improved upon NASA's 30+ years of global satellite observations of our living ocean, atmosphere, and land, and initiated an advanced set of climate- and applications-relevant data records. Mission goals include extending and improving upon systematic ocean color, aerosol, cloud, and terrestrial data records for Earth system studies, and addressing emerging science questions related to socioeconomic applications. PACE helps assess ocean health by determining the distribution of aquatic phytoplankton. In doing so, it is the first mission to provide daily, global measurements that will enable prediction of the "boom-bust" cycle of fisheries, the appearance of harmful algae, and other factors that affect commercial and recreational industries. PACE also observes clouds and tiny airborne particles known as aerosols that influence air quality and absorb and reflect sunlight, thus warming and cooling the atmosphere. Many stakeholders rely on these key data to forecast weather, visibility, and air quality. Also, PACE provides novel and near-daily views of land surfaces, collectively extending heritage vegetation time series while introducing novel terrestrial measurements previously only achievable at local scales. PACE ultimately provides observations that benefit Earth system research and society as a whole in ways that other current satellites cannot. As it passes its two-year anniversary, the mission exemplifies how combining hyperspectral radiometry with multi-angle polarimetry enables transformative Earth system science, addressing critical uncertainties while establishing new paradigms for integrated observations of our changing planet. This review examines how PACE fills critical gaps across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric science disciplines.

Indexed as

Earth SciencesEcosystemEnvironmental MonitoringAerosolsAtmosphereOceans and SeasSpacecraftUnited StatesUnited States National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationAerosolsatmospheric aerosolscloudsHARP2ocean colorOCIPACEradiative transfer theoryremote sensingSPEXoneterrestrial vegetation

Identifiers

PMID42017204
PMCPMC13100863

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.