"A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE" by Jessica Merzdorf Why are there so many songs about rainbows? For NASA’s upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, or PACE, the colors of the rainbow — or, if you prefer, the visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum — are the key to unlocking a wealth of new data on skies and seas around the world. PACE’s high-resolution instruments will see ocean and atmosphere features in unparalleled detail when the mission launches in 2023. By measuring the intensity of the color that exits Earth’s ocean surface, PACE will capture fine details about phytoplankton — tiny plantlike organisms and algae that live in the ocean — that are the basis of the marine food web and generate half of Earth’s oxygen. Beneficial phytoplankton communities fuel fisheries, but harmful algal blooms (HABs) can poison animals and humans and disrupt tourism and fishing industries. . . Understanding phytoplankton health can help predict harmful algal blooms, or HABs. When substances from land wash into the ocean, they sometimes become a feast for algae, allowing them to eat, grow and multiply rapidly. HABs can generate harmful toxins that sicken marine wildlife and humans and deplete oxygen in the water as bacteria feed on numerous dead algae. “Harmful algal blooms are not recent. We have writings from indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest that talk about things happening on the beach,” said Cetinić. “It’s just that today we’re looking for it more, and also anthropogenic influences are making blooms more prevalent.”While naturally occurring minerals can run into the ocean and feed algae, chemicals produced by humans – lawn fertilizer, wastewater treatment chemicals and agricultural chemicals, for example – are a much greater culprit.

Question

"A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE" by Jessica Merzdorf Why are there so many songs about rainbows? For NASA’s upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, or PACE, the colors of the rainbow — or, if you prefer, the visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum — are the key to unlocking a wealth of new data on skies and seas around the world. PACE’s high-resolution instruments will see ocean and atmosphere features in unparalleled detail when the mission launches in 2023. By measuring the intensity of the color that exits Earth’s ocean surface, PACE will capture fine details about phytoplankton — tiny plantlike organisms and algae that live in the ocean — that are the basis of the marine food web and generate half of Earth’s oxygen. Beneficial phytoplankton communities fuel fisheries, but harmful algal blooms (HABs) can poison animals and humans and disrupt tourism and fishing industries. . . Understanding phytoplankton health can help predict harmful algal blooms, or HABs. When substances from land wash into the ocean, they sometimes become a feast for algae, allowing them to eat, grow and multiply rapidly. HABs can generate harmful toxins that sicken marine wildlife and humans and deplete oxygen in the water as bacteria feed on numerous dead algae. “Harmful algal blooms are not recent. We have writings from indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest that talk about things happening on the beach,” said Cetinić. “It’s just that today we’re looking for it more, and also anthropogenic influences are making blooms more prevalent.”While naturally occurring minerals can run into the ocean and feed algae, chemicals produced by humans – lawn fertilizer, wastewater treatment chemicals and agricultural chemicals, for example – are a much greater culprit.  
Use this excerpt from the “A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE" article to answer the question. Based on the information in the article, make a logical inference about the significance of PACE and its study of phytoplankton populations. In 3–5 sentences, provide specific evidence from the text to support your inference and explain why your reasoning is logical and valid.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

Based on the information in the article, the significance of PACE lies in its ability to monitor and understand phytoplankton populations, which are crucial for maintaining marine ecosystems and global oxygen levels. The text states that phytoplankton "are the basis of the marine food web and generate half of Earth’s oxygen," indicating their vital role in environmental health. Additionally, PACE's high-resolution instruments allow for the detection of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can lead to severe ecological and economic consequences. The mention of "chemicals produced by humans" as greater contributors to harmful algal blooms underscores the importance of monitoring phytoplankton health, as it can help predict these hazardous events and mitigate their impact. Therefore, PACE's mission is not only to gather data but also to inform strategies to protect marine life and human health from the detrimental effects of HABs.