PLANKTON ECOSYSTEMS OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN PROFOUNDLY AFFECT CLIMATE AND LIFE ON EARTH. NASAS OCEAN COLOR SATELLITE RECORD TELLS US THAT THESE INVALUABLE ECOSYSTEMS ARE HIGHLYRESPONSIVE TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY WITH CHANGES IN OCEAN PRODUCTION IMPACTING FOOD PRODUCTION UPTAKE OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 AND EMISSION OF CLIMATE-REGULATING AEROSOLS.INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE SIMULATIONS SUGGEST THAT SURFACE OCEAN TEMPERATURES WILL WARM BY +1.3 TO +2.8 C GLOBALLY OVER THE 21ST CENTURY WITHMAJOR CONSEQUENCES ON PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SURFACE OCEAN WHERE PLANKTON POPULATIONS THRIVE. THE PRESSING QUESTION IS HOW WILL THESE CHANGES ALTER PLANKTON PRODUCTION SPECIES COMPOSITION AND AEROSOL EMISSIONS?TODAY EVEN THE SIGN OF THESE POTENTIAL CHANGES REMAINS UNRESOLVED. OUR ABILITY TO PREDICT EARTH SYSTEM CONSEQUENCES OF A WARMING OCEAN AND DEVELOP REALISTIC MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES DEPENDS ON RESOLVING CONFLICTING HYPOTHESES REGARDING FACTORS CONTROLLING PLANKTON ECOSYSTEMS AND BIOGENIC AEROSOL EMISSIONS.THE NORTH ATLANTIC AEROSOLS AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS STUDY (NAAMES) IS A HIGH-IMPACT INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION AND THE FIRST EARTH VENTURE SUBORBITAL (EVS) MISSION FOCUSED ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS. NAAMES IS DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL PREVIOUS OCEAN INVESTIGATIONS BY ITS FOCUS ON OBSERVATIONS OVER THE COMPLETE ANNUAL CYCLE AND BY ITS CRITICAL INTEGRATION OF SURFACE AIRBORNE SATELLITE AND MODELING DATA. THE NAAMES DESIGN ADDRESSES FUNDAMENTALMEASUREMENT AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS THAT CURRENTLY RESTRICT UNDERSTANDING OF OCEAN ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING LINKAGES TO ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS AND IMPLICATIONS ON CLIMATE. NAAMES WILL IMPROVE PREDICTIVE CAPABILITIES OF EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES AND WILL INFORM OCEAN MANAGEMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEM CHANGE.