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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The sea gooseberry is just one of the many species that inhabit the mesopelagic region of the ocean, which is between 100 m and 1000 m below the surface. The mesopelagic is home to most of the world’s fish, but how they get enough food has largely been a mystery. Using information from satellites and in situ instruments, scientists have worked out that a ‘seasonal mixed-layer pump’ moves 300 million tonnes of carbon from the surface waters to the depths below. This is an important addition to the ‘rain’ of fast-sinking organic aggregates of dead plankton and waste products from organisms that live near the surface.