NASA’s new PACE mission: introduction to PACE’s hyperspectral, near daily observations of the world’s forest ecosystems
Launched in February 2024, NASA’s new Plankton Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) observatory uniquely provides global, hyperspectral (5 nm resolution, from UV-VIS-NIR) coverage of Earth’s surface, plus hyperspectral and hyperangular polarimetry. PACE delivers all new, space-based information on the health and diversity of aquatic and terrestrial life (algae, plants), aerosol properties (smoke, dust), cloud types, and more. Hyperspectral data products are moderate spatial resolution (1.2km2 ), enabling a relatively high time frequency of 1-2 days. This combination of coverage and capabilities is unmatched by any other satellite platform, public or private. In this workshop, NASA-affiliated experts in PACE terrestrial science and applications will connect forestry end users with PACE’s new land data products through informative presentations and hands-on lessons. PACE is continuing several heritage terrestrial indexes, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), as well as providing new, hyperspectral-based, terrestrial data products with novel opportunity for forestry monitoring and management from space. New capabilities and insights being discovered with PACE, as well as best practices and case study scientific examples to aid in applying and interpreting the data, will be presented. More details here.
