{"id":211598,"date":"2025-05-06T05:08:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-data-helps-map-tiny-plankton-that-feed-giant-right-whales\/"},"modified":"2025-05-06T05:08:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:08:15","slug":"nasa-data-helps-map-tiny-plankton-that-feed-giant-right-whales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=211598","title":{"rendered":"NASA Data Helps Map Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales"},"content":{"rendered":"
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6 min read<\/p>\n

NASA Data Helps Map Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"A<\/a><\/figure>
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This North Atlantic right whale, named \u201cBowtie,\u201d was spotted feeding in southern Maine waters in January 2025. A new technique aims to use NASA satellite data to see the plankton these whales depend on from space.<\/div>\n
Credit: New England Aquarium, taken under NMFS permit # 25739<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the waters off New England, one of Earth\u2019s rarest mammals swims slowly, mouth agape. The North Atlantic right whale filters clouds of tiny reddish zooplankton \u2014 called Calanus finmarchicus <\/em>\u2014 from the sea. These zooplankton, no bigger than grains of rice, are the whale\u2019s lifeline. Only about 370 of these massive creatures remain.<\/p>\n

For decades, tracking the tiny plankton meant sending research vessels out in the ocean, towing nets and counting samples by hand. Now, scientists are looking from above instead.<\/p>\n

Using NASA satellite data, researchers found a way to detect Calanus<\/em> swarms at the ocean surface in the Gulf of Maine, picking up on the animals\u2019 natural red pigment. This early-stage approach, described in a new study<\/a>, may help researchers better estimate where the copepods gather, and where whales might follow.<\/p>\n

Tracking the zooplankton from space could aid both the whales and maritime industries. By predicting where these mammals are likely to feed, researchers and marine resource managers hope to reduce deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements \u2014 two major threats to the species. Knowing the feeding patterns could also help shipping and fishing industries operate more efficiently.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a><\/figure>
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Calanus finmarchicus<\/em>, a tiny zooplankton powering North Atlantic food webs, fuels right whale populations with its energy-rich lipid reserves.<\/div>\n
Credit: Cameron Thompson<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cNASA invests in this kind of research because it connects space-based observation with real-world challenges,\u201d said Cynthia Hall, a support scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington. She works with the Early Career Research Program, which partly funded the work. \u201cIt\u2019s yet another a way to put NASA satellite data to work for science, communities, and ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Revealing the Ocean\u2019s Hidden Patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new approach uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS<\/a>) aboard NASA\u2019s Aqua satellite. The MODIS instrument doesn\u2019t directly see the copepods themselves. Instead, it reads how the spectrum of sunlight reflected from the ocean surface changes in response to what\u2019s in the water.<\/p>\n

When large numbers of the zooplankton rise to the surface, their reddish pigment \u2014 astaxanthin, the same compound that gives salmon its pink color \u2014 subtly alters how photons, or particles of light, from the sun are absorbed or scattered in the water. The fate of these photons in the ocean depends on the mix of living and non-living matter in seawater, creating a slight shift in color that MODIS can detect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know to look for Calanus<\/em> before in this way,\u201d said Catherine Mitchell, a satellite oceanographer at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine. \u201cRemote sensing has typically focused on smaller things like phytoplankton. But recent research suggested that larger, millimeter-sized organisms like zooplankton can also influence ocean color.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few years ago, researchers piloted a satellite method for detecting copepods in Norwegian waters<\/a>. Now, some of those same scientists \u2014 along with Mitchell\u2019s team \u2014 have refined the approach and applied it to the Gulf of Maine, a crucial feeding ground for right whales during their northern migration. By combining satellite data, a model, and field measurements, they produced enhanced images that revealed Calanus <\/em>swarms at the sea surface, and were able to estimate numbers of the tiny animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know the right whales are using habitats we don\u2019t fully understand,\u201d said Rebekah Shunmugapandi, also a satellite oceanographer at Bigelow and the study\u2019s lead author. <\/a>\u201cThis satellite-based Calanus<\/em> information could eventually help identify unknown feeding grounds or better anticipate where whales might travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tracking Elusive Giants<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite decades of study, North Atlantic right whales<\/a> remain remarkably enigmatic to scientists. Once fairly predictable in their movements along the Eastern Seaboard of North America, these massive mammals began abandoning some traditional feeding grounds in 2010-2011. Their sudden shift to unexpected areas like the Gulf of Saint Lawrence caught people off guard, with deadly consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had whales getting hit by ships and whales getting stuck in fishing gear,\u201d said Laura Ganley, a research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in Boston, which conducts aerial and boat surveys of the whales. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated the situation as an \u201cunusual mortality event\u201d in an effort to address the whales\u2019 decline. Since then, 80 North Atlantic right whales have been killed or sustained serious injuries, according to NOAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Map<\/a><\/figure>
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NASA satellite imagery from June 2009 was used to test a new method for detecting the copepod Calanus finmarchicus <\/em>in the Gulf of Maine and estimating their numbers from space.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using data from Shunmugapandi, R., et al.<\/em> (2025)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the Gulf of Maine, there\u2019s less shipping activity, but there can be a complex patchwork of lobster fishing gear, said Sarah Leiter, a scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources. \u201cEach fisherman has 800 traps or so,\u201d Leiter explained. \u201cIf a larger number of whales shows up suddenly, like they just did in January 2025, it is challenging. Fishermen need time and good weather to adjust that gear.\u201d<\/p>\n

What excites Leiter the most about the satellite data is the potential to use it in a forecasting tool to help predict where the whales could go. \u201cThat would be incredibly useful in giving us that crucial lead time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

PACE: The Next Generation of Ocean Observer<\/strong><\/p>\n

For now, the Calanus<\/em>-tracking method has limitations. Because MODIS detects the copepods\u2019 red pigment, not the animals themselves, that means other small, reddish organisms can be mistaken for the zooplankton. And cloud cover, rough seas, or deeper swarms all limit what satellites can spot.<\/p>\n

MODIS is also nearing the end of its operational life. But NASA\u2019s next-generation PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem<\/a>) satellite \u2014 launched in 2024 \u2014 is poised to make dramatic improvements in the detection of zooplankton and phytoplankton.<\/p>\n

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\"Swirling<\/a><\/figure>
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NASA\u2019s Ocean Color Instrument on the PACE satellite captured these swirling green phytoplankton blooms in the Gulf of Maine in April 2024. Such blooms fuel zooplankton like Calanus finmarchicus<\/em>.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe PACE satellite will definitely be able to do this, and maybe even something better,\u201d said Bridget Seegers, an oceanographer and mission scientist with the PACE team at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.<\/p>\n

The PACE mission includes the <\/a>Ocean Color Instrument<\/a>, which detects more than 280 wavelengths of light. That\u2019s a big jump from the 10 wavelengths seen by MODIS. More wavelengths mean finer detail and better insights into ocean color and the type of plankton that the satellite can spot.<\/p>\n

Local knowledge of seasonal plankton patterns will still be essential to interpret the data correctly. But the goal isn\u2019t perfect detection, the scientists say, but rather to provide another tool to inform decision-making, especially when time or resources are limited.<\/p>\n

By Emily DeMarco<\/strong>
NASA Headquarters<\/strong><\/p>\n

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