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.
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Phytoplankton are microscopic algae that play a critical role in the ocean’s carbon cycle, producing organic carbon through photosynthesis and supporting higher trophic levels of the marine food web.
Marine heatwaves – periods of prolonged, unusually warm seawater – are increasingly threatening marine ecosystems around the world. A recent study, led by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISMAR) as part of ESA’s CAREHeat project, specifically examined these effects in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea.
Read full story: How marine heatwaves impact phytoplankton and ocean health