Phytoplankton Bloom Near Norway

Brilliant green swirls of phytoplankton colored the water of the Barents Sea north of Norway in late July 2004.

Turquoise swirls in the cool Barents Sea north of Norway are caused by a bloom of phytoplankton, microscopic plants that turn ocean waters bright blue and green when viewed from space. The bright blue color suggests that this bloom may be caused by coccolithophores, tiny plants coated in white calcium carbonate (chalk). The white plates reflect light, and through the blue reflectance of the water, turn the water the brilliant blue seen here. This image of the bloom was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on August 1, 2004. The image has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, but is available in additional resolutions.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    Terra/MODIS

  • Start Date

    2004-08-01

  • Event Start Date

    2004-07-27

  • NH Image ID

    12309

  • NH Event ID

    10440

  • NH Posting Date

    2004-08-03