The tiny, plant-like organisms thrive on iron that seeps into the ocean.
Published May 7, 2017
Meltwater from Alaska’s glaciers washed into the Gulf of Alaska, delivering nutrients that gave rise to a colorful phytoplankton bloom.
Published Jun 25, 2016
The winter-white Alaska shoreline provides a vivid contrast to the turquoise swirls in the black waters of the Gulf of Alaska. This burst of color in an otherwise black-and-white scene is caused by sediment, ground into fine powder by mountain glaciers and carried into the Gulf of Alaska through many waterways. The largest contributor of sediment shown in this photo-like image is the Copper River, immediately east of Prince William Sound.
Published Jan 18, 2007
Fueled by the Oyashio current, the waters off of northeastern Japan support a bounty of phytoplankton and fishes.
Published Jun 4, 2019
The season is a time of great change, turbulence, and productivity in northern waters.
Published Mar 9, 2020
Seasonal blooms of phytoplankton off Japan are provoked by nutrient rich currents in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Published Apr 10, 2013
A ridge of high pressure brought clear skies and sweltering temperatures to Alaska on June 17, 2013.
Published Jun 19, 2013
Late in 2013, a mid-summer bloom of phytoplankton gave color to a whirling eddy south of Australia.
Published Jan 9, 2014
When winds push dust and glacial flour into the Gulf of Alaska, they can deliver enough iron to trigger phytoplankton blooms.
Published Nov 1, 2016Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze Snow and Ice
Soft shades of turquoise and tan color the waters of the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound in this photo-like image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on March 13, 2008. Though the swirls may look delicate from space, they hint at an ocean in turmoil. Strong winds and high waves likely churned the ocean, bringing sediment to the surface in the shallow waters over the continental shelf. The deeper waters beyond the shelf edge in the lower right corner of the image are dark blue, not clouded by sediment.
Published Apr 1, 2008
The waters off of Newfoundland were colored by coccolithophore blooms for two months.
Published Sep 21, 2020
