The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Envisat image over Iceland and the Denmark Strait.
The large blue-green areas in the sea off the south and western coasts of Iceland are caused by a very large concentration of phytoplankton. These small organisms form the basis of the ocean's food chain and have an essential role in the global ecosystem: they could help to reduce
the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and are a
useful indicator of changes in ocean productivity.
This 21 June 2004 image was acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) – an instrument optimised to detect ocean colour - working in full resolution mode with a resolution of 300 metres. The image covers 672 by 672 km.