Images related to The Eddy and the Plankton

Finding Life in the Benguela Current
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Finding Life in the Benguela Current

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

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Satellites Detect Deep-Ocean Whirlpools
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Satellites Detect Deep-Ocean Whirlpools

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

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Spring Bloom for South Africa
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Spring Bloom for South Africa

Large phytoplankton blooms tend to occur at intersections: between land and sea, between different ocean currents, and between seasons.

Published Nov 18, 2018

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A Day in the East Korea Current
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A Day in the East Korea Current

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

Image of the Day Life Water Remote Sensing

Spring Bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean
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Spring Bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean

Intense streaks of blue and green colored the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina on November 15, 2009.

Published Nov 21, 2009

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Scientists Discover the Biggest Seaweed Bloom in the World
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Scientists Discover the Biggest Seaweed Bloom in the World

The record-breaking belt of brown algae stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, and it is likely here to stay.

Published Jul 8, 2019

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Searching for the Bluest
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Searching for the Bluest

Some of the clearest, bluest ocean waters on Earth are found in the South Pacific.

Published Oct 12, 2017

Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing

Seeing the Sea Through the Years
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Seeing the Sea Through the Years

In several decades of observing the ocean with satellites, our vision has changed as much as the sea.

Published Apr 30, 2019

Image of the Day Life Water Remote Sensing

Global Chlorophyll
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Global Chlorophyll

Published Jan 1, 2004

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Chlorophyll Along U.S. West Coast
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Chlorophyll Along U.S. West Coast

Published Sep 30, 2004

Unique Imagery

The Treacherous and Productive Seas of Southern Africa
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The Treacherous and Productive Seas of Southern Africa

Warm and cool ocean currents collide near South Africa’s Cape Agulhas and Cape of Good Hope.

Published Jan 27, 2017

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