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Of all of the instruments in NASA's

Earth Observing System, MODIS has proven to be one of the most versatile,

producing both groundbreaking science and compelling images.

The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer,

on both the Aqua and Terra satellites, has changed the way we look

at our atmosphere, oceans, and land.

KING: MODIS increased the wavelength range, covered more

physical properties of the environment that it could monitor,

it measured them down to as small as 250 meters, the size of a couple of football fields,

in size. And had many more spectral bands to

study more aspects of ocean biology, of the land,

fires, and it was a very technological

advance. And for a long time

in the EOS community, it was referred to

as the quintessential instrument of the EOS because it did more things for more people,

more disciplines than any other single instrument.

NARRATION: The study of clouds is, not surprisingly, incredibly important for understanding

weather and climate. And until MODIS came along,

it was commonly accepted that at any given time the Earth was about 50 percent covered by clouds.

But data from the instrument showed that cloud cover

was actually closer to 70%.

MODIS can also measure the temperature and height of clouds, and differentiate

between clouds composed of liquid water, a¬nd those made of ice.

MODIS also monitors the world’s oceans, measuring sea surface

temperature, ocean color and clarity, and the basis of the

marine food chain, phytoplankton.

KING: MODIS has done a very good job of getting this biological signature.

Chlorophyll A, which follows phytoplankton, ocean currents.

You can see the seasonal variation

due to El Niño and other things where the biological productivity of the ocean.

This is important because this biological photosynthesis

takes carbon dioxide out, produces oxygen as part of photosynthesis,

and so it is a sink for carbon that we, Man, put in the atmosphere.

NARRATION: MODIS also looks at the land, monitoring fires,

land use change, and various measures of the Earth’s plant life.

KING: So it’s been used for a long time to monitor

the growth of vegetation, the seasonal cycle, and how that

year-to-year, whether it’s due to droughts, associated with El Niño

or the spread of the Sahara, but it’s a very good index to monitor.

NARRATION: The versatility of MODIS,

as it measures land, sea, and air, contributes to the wealth of information

being revealed by the Aqua mission.

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