Artificial Intelligence Can Spot Plankton from Space - Eos

Scientists mimicked the neural networks of the brain to map phytoplankton types in the Mediterranean Sea. A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans presented a new method of classifying phytoplankton that relies on artificial intelligence clustering. Phytoplankton blanket surface waters of the world's oceans, and pigments in their cells absorb certain wavelengths of light, like the chlorophyll that gives plants their green color. In the Mediterranean Sea, where the latest study focused its efforts, an array of phytoplankton species bloom throughout the year. Past research has mined satellite images of ocean color in the Mediterranean for common pigments found in phytoplankton.