NASA MODIS Image of the Day: December 3, 2007 – MODIS Net Primary Productivity Product
Data from the MODIS aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites are helping scientists to routinely map the rate at which plant life on Earth absorbs carbon out of the atmosphere.
Such maps effectively represent our planet’s “carbon metabolism.
” Called “Net Primary Productivity”, these maps show where and how much carbon dioxide is taken in by vegetation during photosynthesis minus how much carbon dioxide is released when plants respire. Such maps give a fascinating new insight into the intimate connection between the living world and the physical world. This image shows data the Terra satellite from between March 1, 2007 and April 1, 2007. Carbon fixation through photosynthesis is a basic property of life on planet Earth. Photosynthesis is the basis for capturing and storing solar energy that fuels our world’s living systems and forms the foundation of the food web. During photosynthesis, living plants take in carbon dioxide from the air, water from the ground, and energy from the Sun to convert the carbon into sugar molecules (called “carbohydrates”) that plants need to live and grow. Six molecules of water combined with six molecules of carbon dioxide make one molecule of sugar and six molecules of oxygen. In the process of making their own food, plants also provide the oxygen we need to breathe. Thus, plants provide the energy and air required by most life forms on Earth. Because carbon dioxide is a key greenhouse gas that helps to warm our world, climate scientists are interested in mapping where carbon dioxide comes from and where it goes. They are also interested in monitoring plant productivity as humans steadily increase the amount of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere and cause the globe to warm. Will we see an increase in plant productivity due to the greater abundance of carbon dioxide? Will we see a decrease in plant productivity due to higher surface temperatures stressing the plants? To help them answer these questions, and others, scientists are using NASA satellites to make maps like these to routinely monitor plants’ role in the global carbon cycle. The colors on these maps indicate how fast carbon was taken in for every square meter of land for the time span indicated. Here is a higher resolution image.
