Nearly every summer, phytoplankton trace the sea’s currents, eddies, and flows.
Image of the Day Life Water Water Color
Satellite imagers captured the transition from one blooming phytoplankton genus to another in the Barents Sea in the summer of 2014.
In this natural-color image from August 31, 2010, a large phytoplankton bloom colors the Barents Sea turquoise, teal, navy, and green.
Image of the Day Water Water Color
An annual summertime bloom of cyanobacteria flourished in such numbers as to be visible from space.
Image of the Day Water
Water Color
In May 2020, a vivid phytoplankton bloom colored the surface waters of the country’s second-longest fjord.
Changing conditions in the waters near Alaska promotes late summer phytoplankton growth.
MODIS caught a clear view of an explosion of phytoplankton—a rare treat since the Barents Sea is cloud-covered roughly 80 percent of the summer.
Acquired August 24, 2012, this natural-color image shows a profusion of peacock hues created by a phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea.
Image of the Day Life Water
In July 2016, phytoplankton in the Barents Sea turned the surface waters milky blue.
Life Water Water Color
The waters off of Australia hosted an apparent bloom of Trichodesmium, an ancient, important, and ubiquitous type of microscopic sea life.
Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing
Unusually clear skies and persistent, unseasonable heat may have set the stage for large and persistent blooms of phytoplankton in the waters around England.
The waters off of the Alaskan coast usually come alive each spring with colorful swirls of phytoplankton.