As of 19 June 2026, NASA’s PACE satellite is tracking autumn’s colour transformation globally by monitoring pigments inside leaves from orbit, providing more detailed spectral information than previous systems.
PACE mission and sensors
- Mission and launch: Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE); launched 8 February 2024.
- Sensor capability: Hyperspectral imaging with near-daily global coverage (1–2 day revisit); records fine spectral detail across visible–NIR bands.
- Spectral principle: Narrow-band spectroscopy separates overlapping pigment absorption features.
Pigments and derived metrics
- Pigment groups: Chlorophylls (green), carotenoids (yellow/orange), anthocyanins (red).
- Derived metrics: Pigment concentrations, timing of onset and progression of seasonal colour change, multi-pigment indices beyond chlorophyll proxies.
Observations and coverage
- First-year record: March 2024–March 2025 captured spring northward movement and autumn onset across multiple regions.
- Temporal resolution: Near-daily observations enable detection of rapid phenological shifts.
- Method paper: Fall-colour timing approach published in Remote Sensing Letters on 12 June 2026 (lead author Karl F. Huemmrich; co-author Skye Caplan).
Applications
- Stress detection: Distinguishes pigment changes from drought, nutrient deficiency or insect damage.
- Model inputs: Improves phenology and ecosystem models for seasonal timing.
- Spatial mapping: Near-daily maps identify peak leaf-peeping locations and temporal windows.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Unique capability: First and only hyperspectral, global terrestrial coverage at 1–2 day cadence.
- PACE acronym: Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem.
- Relevance: Enables multi-pigment discrimination that conventional broadband sensors cannot resolve.