Blue-green algae bloom in Lake Erie’s summer conditions. Unfortunately for those looking to spend summer on the water, the dominant organism in this bloom produces a toxin that “can cause Keep reading
Tag: phytoplankton
Swirls of Green and Teal
Captured in March 2024, this satellite image of the Gulf of Oman comes from an instrument aboard the PACE spacecraft. The picture of a phytoplankton bloom is not quite natural-color, Keep reading
Swirls Off South Australia
Summer winds along Australia’s Bonney Coast push coastal waters offshore, triggering the upwelling of colder waters from depths below 300 meters. These cold waters from the deep are nutrient-rich, thanks Keep reading
Atlantic Blooms
In April 2023, swirls of green and turquoise burst into vivid color in the Atlantic. Much of the color comes from a phytoplankton bloom. Although phytoplankton are individually microscopic, they Keep reading
The Epic Migration of Plankton
Zooplankton are tiny creatures found throughout Earth’s oceans. During the daytime, they linger in the twilight depths, where they are harder for predators to spot. But once the sun sets, Keep reading
Blooms in the Black Sea
The Black Sea gains its name from its dark waters, but those waters don’t stay dark year-round. In this natural color satellite image, streaks of milky blue bloom through the Keep reading
Turquoise Eddies
During the summer months, the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia is streaked with blue and teal swirls. These beautiful patterns are the result of a phytoplankton bloom, as viewed Keep reading
“Feeding the Sea”
It’s impressive when a microscopic organism is visible from space, but that’s a regular occurrence for phytoplankton, the tiny marine algae that feed much of the ocean. In this video Keep reading
Green Swirls and Dark Streaks
Green phytoplankton blooms swirl through the currents of the Baltic Sea in this satellite image. Individual phytoplankton are microscopic, which makes them excellent tracer particles in the flow; together, they Keep reading
Bioluminescence at the Beach
A bioluminescent phytoplankton bloom is causing a stir among California beachgoers. During the daytime, aggregations of Lingulodinium polyedra appear reddish-brown in color (think the classic ‘red tide’). But at night Keep reading