February 2005
NASA announces breakthrough in understanding ocean health
IMPORTANT CORRECTION: A previous version of this media advisory listed the dial in toll free number incorrectly. The correct number for dialling in to this media telelconference is 877-960-9069.
NASA and university researchers are announcing a major breakthrough using satellites to understand the health of our oceans.
WHAT: Media Teleconference
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 10 from 1 to 2 p.m. EST. Reporters may dial in toll free at: 877-960-9069. The passcode is PLANKTON.
WHO: Michael Behrenfeld, a former researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. He will explain his new satellite technique and its importance. Behrenfeld is a researcher at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
He will explain this new technique, which opens the door to solving a problem that has stymied ocean biologists for more than a century. The technique uses satellite data to understand the health of our oceans through studying information about tiny marine plants called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton has a key role in fisheries, harmful algal blooms, and carbon dioxide uptake by oceans.