Phytoplankton play a crucial role in ocean biology and climate. Understanding the natural processes that influence phytoplankton primary production, and how they are changing as the planet warms, is vital. A new study, using data from ESA's Climate Change Initiative, has produced a 20-year time-series of global primary production in the oceans – shedding new light on the ocean’s 'living carbon pump'. See https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Shedding_light_on

Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that form the base of the marine food web and about half of the oxygen on Earth. The concentration of their green pigment, chlorophyll, can be seen from space because it changes the color of the water. From measurements collected at sea and analyzed through microscopes, we know there are many of thousands of types of phytoplankton. Computer models combine observations from satellites and ships with physical forcing to estimate where diverse species live an