Biosphere Data Across the United States Western Seaboard
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The SeaWiFS instrument aboard the SeaStar satellite has been collecting ocean data since 1997. By monitoring the color of reflected light via satellite, scientists can determine how successfully plant life is photosynthesizing. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon. This animation represents nearly a decade's worth of data taken by the SeaWiFS instrument, showing the abundance of life in the sea and along the Western seaboard of the United States. Dark blue represents warmer areas where there is little life due to lack of nutrients, and greens and reds represent cooler nutrient-rich areas. The nutrient-rich areas include coastal regions where cold water rises from the sea floor bringing nutrients along and areas at the mouths of rivers where the rivers have brought nutrients into the ocean from the land. The nutrient-rich waters contribute to some of the oxygen-poor pockets of the seas called dead zones.
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This animation begins with a wide shot of the United States and zooms down to the Western seaboard of the United States while cycling through nearly ten years of SeaWiFS biosphere data.
Duration: 2.7 minutes
Available formats:
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124 MB
1280x720 (30 fps)
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335 MB
512x288 (30 fps)
MPEG-1
53 MB
1280x720 (30 fps)
Frames
(Western Seaboard Biosphere)
1280x720 (60 fps)
Frames
(Western Seaboard Biosphere)
320x180
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246 KB
160x80
PNG
59 KB
80x40
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This animation begins with the wide shot of the United States and zooms down to the Western seaboard while cycling through nearly ten years of SeaWiFS biosphere data. This version is annotated with corresponding dates.
Duration: 1.8 minutes
Available formats:
1280x720 (30 fps)
MPEG-4
83 MB
1280x720 (30 fps)
MPEG-2
223 MB
512x288 (30 fps)
MPEG-1
35 MB
1280x720 (30 fps)
Frames
(Western Seaboard Biosphere with dates)
1280x720 (60 fps)
Frames
(Western Seaboard Biosphere with dates)
320x180
PNG
252 KB
How to play our movies
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