This image of the summer phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea off the northwesternmost corner of Russia was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 19, 2009. The milky-blue color that dominates the bloom suggests that it contains large numbers of phytoplankton called coccolithophores.
Published Aug 22, 2009
Satellites observe a massive bloom of coccolithophore plankton in July 2012.
Published Jul 31, 2012
Unusually clear skies and persistent, unseasonable heat may have set the stage for large and persistent blooms of phytoplankton in the waters around England.
Published Jun 26, 2020
The milky green and blue phytoplankton developed where warmer, saltier coastal waters from the subtropics meet colder, fresher waters flowing from the south.
Published Dec 23, 2018
An expansive bloom of phytoplankton traced colorful swirls across the South Pacific Ocean between New Zealand (left) and the Chatham Islands (right) on December 23, 2009.
Published Dec 29, 2009
The northern and western highlands of Scotland were still winter-brown and even dusted with snow in places, but the waters of the North Sea were blooming with phytoplankton on May 8, 2008, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the region and captured this image. The tiny, plant-like organisms swirled in the waters off the country’s east coast, coloring the shallow coastal waters shades of bright blue and green.
Published May 13, 2008
Scientists show that a virus was responsible for the collapse of a large coccolithophore bloom in the North Atlantic.
Published Nov 26, 2014
Phytoplankton require sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow.
Published Nov 18, 2016
