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July 4, 2024 - Bloom off the Northeastern Coast of the United States

Bloom off the Northeastern Coast> </div> </p> <a href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="false">Tweet</a><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <div class="fb-share-button" data-href="https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2020-02-11" data-layout="button" data-size="small" style="top:-4px;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov//gallery/individual.php?db_date=2024-07-04&src=sdkpreparse" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore">Share</a></div> <p> <p> An early summer bloom sparkled in the Atlantic Ocean south of Long Island, New York in late July 2024, turning near-shore waters milky green. These colors first began to appear in this location in mid-June and have expanded almost daily, as seen in satellite images. On July 2, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the scene. </p> <p> The colorful bloom is made up of an abundance of phytoplankton—tiny, plant-like organisms that often float near the ocean surface in most oceans and lakes on Earth in relatively small numbers and unseen by satellites. When conditions are favorable, the organisms can multiply explosively to create massive blooms that can be easily viewed from space. Phytoplankton fuel the ocean by feeding other plankton, fish, and ultimately bigger creatures. They are also important carbon cyclers and oxygen producers. </p> <p> The type of phytoplankton present in this bloom cannot be identified based on this true-color image alone. However, summer blooms in this location have, at times, contained cyanobacteria. Also known as blue-green algae, this type of phytoplankton can produce microcystin, a potent toxin that can irritate the skin and cause liver and kidney damage in people and animals. It is one of many organisms that can be found in harmful algae blooms (HAB)s. </p> <p> The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) monitors the presence of HABs in several locations, including the coastal waters of Long Island. As of July 3, their website marks the presence of HABs in several ponds along the southeastern tip of the island, but none are reported in the Atlantic Ocean or within the boundaries of the visible bloom in this image. </p> </p> <p> </p> <p> <b>Image Facts<br> </b> Satellite: <br /> Date Acquired: 7/2/2024 <br /> Resolutions: <br /> Bands Used: <br /> Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC </p> <p> </p> <p align="justify"> </p> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <!-- aincontent ends --> <!-- footer starts --> <div class="footer footer2"> <div class="footer_in"> <div class="footer_lft"> <p id="footercol1">Web Curator: <SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript"> emailE=(' + emailName + '' )
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