The Sea-viewing Wide-field-of-view sensor, the only sensor onboard the OrbView-2 satellite, was launched into low-Earth orbit from a Pegasus rocket attached to the belly of a modified Lockheed L-1011 aircraft. Data gathered from SeaWiFS is helping scientists identify oceanic "hot spots" of biological activity, measure global phytoplankton biomass, and estimate the rate of oceanic carbon uptake. This information will yield a better understanding of the sources and sinks in the carbon cycle and the processes that shape global climatic and environmental change.