A digital image showing how the input of iron into marine ecosystems can affect phytoplankton growth in the oceans.

Researchers from Oregon State University, NASA and other organizations said today that they have succeeded for the first time in measuring the physiology of marine phytoplankton through satellite measurements of its fluorescence – an accomplishment that had been elusive for years.

With this new tool and the continued use of the MODIS Aqua satellite, scientists will now be able to gain a reasonably accurate picture of the ocean’s health and productivity about every week, all over the planet.

full story