Phytoplankton off the coast of California

  • Credit

    Images provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

Nutrient-rich currents off the coast of California are supporting a large phytoplankton community.

Strong currents off the coast of California are pulling nutrients from the sea floor to the surface. Called upwelling, the nutrient-rich waters are a boon to sea life, such that they often support thriving marine populations. On March 16, 2004, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) captured these images of phytoplankton blooming in an upwelling area in the Pacific Ocean near California. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants that be seen from space when they grow in large colonies. Chlorophyll in the plants tints the water green in true-color satellite imagery, such as the top image. Here, natural variations in the water color are caused either by different phytoplankton communities or the same communities growing at different depths in the ocean. The lower image shows chlorophyll concentrations in bright colors. The highest concentrations, shown in red and black, are near the coast.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    OrbView-2/SeaWiFS

  • Start Date

    2004-03-16

  • Event Start Date

    2004-03-16

  • NH Image ID

    12009

  • NH Event ID

    10308

  • NH Posting Date

    2004-03-17