Phytoplankton Bloom in the North Sea

Credit: Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Posted on: Friday, 13 June 2003, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

Rippling clouds of phytoplankton bloom off the southwestern side of Norway in the North Sea in this true-color Terra MODIS image acquired on June 5, 2003. The bloom stretches out in three directions at once—off to the northwest, down to the southwest, and in a thinner stream to the southeast—making it look a little like a pinwheel. To the west of the pinwheel is northern Scotland and England, while to the southeast is northwestern Denmark.

Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that thrive in cold, nutrient-rich waters. They use photosynthesis, like their land-based plant relatives, to convert sunlight into energy. It is the chlorophyll in these organisms that gives them their greenish hue, and this hue, when combined with the deep blue of the water, creates sparkling jewel tones of blues and green.

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