Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)—to look at ocean surface ripples
The data can be used to map the SML, microplastic and partially combusted carbon pollution. It is an indirect method of measuring redox potential, zeta potential, surface tension and even oxygen concentration. It’s a measure of marine productivity and concentration of diatoms and coccolithophores. Someone should be doing this research to demonstrate that the SML may be the primary factor regulating the climate.
There’s an incredibly thin membrane covering our entire ocean called the Sea Surface Microlayer (SML). Though it is only a fraction of a millimeter thick, this layer—secreted by marine phytoplankton—essentially acts as the Earth’s biological skin. It plays a massive, quiet role in regulating cloud formation, the water cycle, and global aerosol production.
Yet, it is virtually absent from our climate models.
This is a major blind spot. The microscopic organisms responsible for maintaining this layer have declined by roughly 40% since 1950. To make matters worse, the BIOACID project—a landmark, German-funded study involving 250 scientists over eight years—documented a 22% to 39% drop in calcification among the shell-forming organisms crucial to this ecosystem.
Meanwhile, we are continuously pumping chemicals that target and destroy this fragile boundary directly into the sea. PFAS, oxybenzone, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural nitrogen are pouring in through wastewater, 80% of which is dumped untreated worldwide, according to the UN.
This entire chain reaction—where wastewater alters ocean chemistry, degrades the SML, and ultimately disrupts our climate and cloud feedback loops—is completely ignored in national climate pledges (NDCs). It deserves a place on the agenda.
We aren’t suggesting we pull our focus away from carbon mitigation. We are simply asking: are we missing a critical piece of the puzzle?
If you are a researcher, ocean scientist, or climate policy professional, we would love to connect and get your perspective.
www.seahorsepoint.org
https://lnkd.in/ev6_2cXN
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)—to look at ocean surface ripples
July 1, 2026 · GOES foundation