Phytoplankton color the water with a burst of spring growth.
Published May 19, 2012
Freshened surface water and abundant nutrients lead to an explosion of algae in the inland sea.
Published May 31, 2015
Phytoplankton and stirred up sediments deliver a splash of spring color to the Black Sea.
Published May 13, 2016
Rivers transport nutrient-filled urban and agricultural runoff into this inland sea, promoting phytoplankton blooms.
Published May 27, 2013
This cloud-free, Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) image of the Black Sea on June 9, 2003, reveals the colorful interplay of currents on the lake’s surface. The green crescent-shaped pattern in the northwestern corner of the Black Sea is due to the nutrient-rich, sediment-laden discharge of the Danube River stimulating biological activity. The brighter, more turquoise patterns on the lake to the south and east are probably blooms of another type of phytoplankton.
Published Jun 10, 2003
This image shows a colorful bloom of phytoplankton in the Black Sea on June 4, 2008, along the southern coast near the Turkish cities of Sinop and Samsun. The natural-color image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Loops and swirls of blooming phytoplankton follow the coastline, while farther out in the open waters (upper right), the blooms become more spread out. The greenish plumes hugging the coast from Sinop westward to just beyond Samsun may be river plumes. River plumes can contain nutrients that stimulate phytoplankton blooms, but they may also contain sediment and organic matter that can color the water.
Published Jun 10, 2008
