Images & Animations
-
Credit
Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
On May 1, 2003, a MODIS image shows a bloom of marine organisms still coloring the waters of Western Cape, South Africa.
On April 10, 2003, the waters off western South Africa were showing swirls of green, while on land, several fires (red dots) were detected. North of South Africa, it is common for yellowish-green plumes to indicate hydrogen sulfide gas bubbling up from sediments on the sea floor. (As gas wells up, it reacts with oxygen dissolved in the water, producing pure sulfur, which is yellow). However, the type of sediments known to release the gas are not found this far south, which means that this plume is likely a normal bloom of marine plants called phytoplankton. What type of phytoplankton cannot be determined without more detailed analysis or on-the-ground observations.
Metadata
-
Sensor
Terra/MODIS -
Start Date
2003-04-10 -
Event Start Date
2003-04-10 -
NH Image ID
10158 -
NH Event ID
8630 -
NH Posting Date
2003-04-11
