A bloom large enough to be visible from space shows up off the coast of New Jersey.
Published Jul 10, 2016
Phytoplankton are tiny plant-like organisms that are the foundation of the ocean food web. Like plants, they contain chlorophyll and other pigments that they use to harvest sunlight for photosynthesis. In northern waters, these organisms are starved for sunlight much of the year, but during the summer months, they explode in colorful blooms such as this one.
Published Aug 19, 2008
Acquired August 9, 2010, this natural-color image shows peacock-blue swirls in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Newfoundland.
Published Aug 11, 2010
An ongoing phytoplankton bloom has painted the sea surface in jewel tones.
Published May 12, 2013
Shades of green and blue blend in subtle swirls in this photo-like image of a phytoplankton bloom off the west coast of Iceland taken on June 24, 2010.
Published Jun 30, 2010
Seasonal blooms of phytoplankton off Japan are provoked by nutrient rich currents in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Published Apr 10, 2013
After studying 71 lakes in 33 countries, researchers found that phytoplankton and algae blooms are generally increasing around the world.
Published Jun 11, 2020
Satellites can track Noctiluca scintillans, a type of phytoplankton that produce a bioluminescent glow at night.
Published Oct 7, 2019
Phytoplankton explosions off the east and west coasts of the United States have both benign and harmful impacts.
Published Aug 9, 2015
At the intersection of two ocean current systems off of Argentina, phytoplankton growth explodes in a spring 2011 bloom.
Published Nov 16, 2011
July 2019 brought the latest display of a phytoplankton bloom that occurs every year in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Published Jul 15, 2019
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 Strait of Georgia turns milky green due to an “unprecedented” explosion of coccolithophores.
Published Sep 4, 2016
Acquired on May 22,2010, this natural-color image shows a phytoplankton bloom stretching hundreds of kilometers, from the waters west of Ireland to the Bay of Biscay.
Published May 26, 2010
