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September 5, 2015 - Phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea
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The Barents Sea, a rich marine fishery and a very biodiverse ecosystem, continued to support a spectacular phytoplankton bloom throughout August 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on August 31, 2015, as it passed over the region.
Phytoplankton are small, plant-like organisms that live in the Barents Sea year-round, and form the basis of the marine food chain. When conditions are right – adequate nutrients, water temperature, and light – the phytoplankton begin to reproduce explosively, and the massive blooms can be viewed from space. Fed by the mixing of the cold waters from the Arctic and the temperate waters from the Gulf Stream, and encouraged by the long hours and warm light of summer, spectacular blooms are regular occurrences in the Barents Sea each August.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/31/2015
Resolutions:
1km (274.5 KB), 500m (999.1 KB), 250m (2.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Barents Sea, a rich marine fishery and a very biodiverse ecosystem, continued to support a spectacular phytoplankton bloom throughout August 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on August 31, 2015, as it passed over the region.
Phytoplankton are small, plant-like organisms that live in the Barents Sea year-round, and form the basis of the marine food chain. When conditions are right – adequate nutrients, water temperature, and light – the phytoplankton begin to reproduce explosively, and the massive blooms can be viewed from space. Fed by the mixing of the cold waters from the Arctic and the temperate waters from the Gulf Stream, and encouraged by the long hours and warm light of summer, spectacular blooms are regular occurrences in the Barents Sea each August.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/31/2015
Resolutions:
1km (274.5 KB), 500m (999.1 KB), 250m (2.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
