Images
December 26, 2024 - Bloom off New Zealand
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A wide streak of brilliant green and blue lit up the waters south of Stewart Island and the south tip of South Island, New Zealand in mid-December 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image on December 17.
The gorgeous colors mark a floating colony of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like materials. These tiny surface-dwelling organisms thrive in cool waters that are rich in nutrients. Turbulent waters often provide the best environment for producing phytoplankton blooms by supplying a mix of waters with differing temperatures and salinities. East of New Zealand, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet at the Southern Hemisphere Subtropical Front. As currents from each ocean brush past each other, they stir up cool, nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths. When there is sufficient sunlight—December is summer in the Southern Hemisphere—these nutrients fuel blooms of phytoplankton. These plants are the base of the marine food web, and they remove about as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on a yearly basis as plants on land.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/17/2024
Resolutions:
1km (237.3 KB), 500m (566.9 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A wide streak of brilliant green and blue lit up the waters south of Stewart Island and the south tip of South Island, New Zealand in mid-December 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image on December 17.
The gorgeous colors mark a floating colony of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like materials. These tiny surface-dwelling organisms thrive in cool waters that are rich in nutrients. Turbulent waters often provide the best environment for producing phytoplankton blooms by supplying a mix of waters with differing temperatures and salinities. East of New Zealand, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet at the Southern Hemisphere Subtropical Front. As currents from each ocean brush past each other, they stir up cool, nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths. When there is sufficient sunlight—December is summer in the Southern Hemisphere—these nutrients fuel blooms of phytoplankton. These plants are the base of the marine food web, and they remove about as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on a yearly basis as plants on land.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/17/2024
Resolutions:
1km (237.3 KB), 500m (566.9 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
