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
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
Phytoplankton are at the heart of the biological component of the ocean carbon cycle. These tiny marine plants transfer vast amounts of organic carbon from the surface waters to the deep ocean – a process called the ocean biological carbon pump. Through the Biological Pump and Carbon Exchange Processes project, a project funded by ESA’s Science for Society Programme, scientists are using ocean colour satellite data to gain greater insight into the complexities of the processes involved. This will improve our understanding of the ocean carbon cycle and its impact on the global carbon budget and Earth’s climate.
Read full story: Untangling the ocean biological carbon pump