The Yellow Sea has some of the most turbid and dynamic waters in the world.
Published Mar 24, 2015
An important player in the nitrogen cycle, Trichodesmium makes a seasonal appearance off the northeast coast of Australia.
Published Sep 16, 2019
November through March is the right time of year to spot a bloom of Trichodesmium, a colorful marine bacterium that plays a key role in the nitrogen cycle.
Published Jan 16, 2015
A Korean satellite provides an hourly view of the phytoplankton in the ocean, while also offering a testbed for future ocean-observing satellite missions.
Published Jun 21, 2016
In several decades of observing the ocean with satellites, our vision has changed as much as the sea.
Published Apr 30, 2019
Swirling waters from the Agulhas Current stir up a phytoplankton bloom.
Published Feb 11, 2012
The swirls of turquoise and green map out a large phytoplankton bloom along the shores of New Zealand’s South Island in this image from February 20, 2011.
Published Feb 26, 2011
Submerged in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain and Portugal are giant, salty whirlpools of warm water. These deep-water whirlpools are part of the ocean’s circulatory system, and they help drive the ocean currents that moderate Earth’s climate. Warm water ordinarily sits at the ocean’s surface, but the warm water flowing out of the Mediterranean Sea is so salty (and therefore dense) that when it enters the Atlantic Ocean at the Strait of Gibraltar, it sinks to depths of more than 1,000 meters (one-half mile) along the continental shelf. This underwater river then separates into clockwise-flowing eddies that may continue to spin westward for more than two years, often coalescing with other eddies to form giant, salty whirlpools that may stretch for hundreds of miles. Because the eddies originate from the Mediterranean Sea, scientists call them “Meddies.”
Published Mar 23, 2006
Some of the clearest, bluest ocean waters on Earth are found in the South Pacific.
Published Oct 12, 2017
The waters off of southwestern Africa are some of the most biologically productive in the world. They also provide a compelling backdrop for exploring how satellite sensors can reveal important details of the ocean.
Published Nov 1, 2017
Phytoplankton are usually most abundant in this area when spring melting and runoff freshen the water and add nutrients just as sunlight is increasing.
Published May 8, 2018
This true-color image captures a Ross Sea phytoplankton bloom on January 22, 2011, as viewed by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite.
Published Jan 29, 2011
A colorful image of the Arabian Sea shows the various types of activities occurring in the waters.
Published Dec 27, 2018
One year after its launch, the Aquarius instrument is giving ocean sciences its first global view of sea surface salinity.
Published Jun 12, 2012
