Images
November 20, 2008 - Plankton Bloom Surrounds Chatham Islands
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On November 15, 2008 the MODIS on the Aqua satellite captured this image of a bloom of plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton encircling the Chatham Islands. Like plants, these organisms contain chlorophyll and other light-harvesting pigments for photosynthesis. The pigments change the way the surface of the ocean reflects and absorbs sunlight, creating colorful swirls that trace the location of the bloom.
The Chatham Islands are in the southern Pacific Ocean about 800 kilometers east of New Zealand. They are at the eastern end of a feature called the Chatham Rise—an underwater plateau that stretches eastward from New Zealand’s South Island for about a thousand kilometers. The relatively shallow depth of the water over the rise, combined with its location at a subtropical front (a boundary where warm waters in the north mix with cold, sub-Antarctic waters to the south), make the area especially hospitable to phytoplankton blooms. The plankton support productive fisheries.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/15/2008
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On November 15, 2008 the MODIS on the Aqua satellite captured this image of a bloom of plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton encircling the Chatham Islands. Like plants, these organisms contain chlorophyll and other light-harvesting pigments for photosynthesis. The pigments change the way the surface of the ocean reflects and absorbs sunlight, creating colorful swirls that trace the location of the bloom.
The Chatham Islands are in the southern Pacific Ocean about 800 kilometers east of New Zealand. They are at the eastern end of a feature called the Chatham Rise—an underwater plateau that stretches eastward from New Zealand’s South Island for about a thousand kilometers. The relatively shallow depth of the water over the rise, combined with its location at a subtropical front (a boundary where warm waters in the north mix with cold, sub-Antarctic waters to the south), make the area especially hospitable to phytoplankton blooms. The plankton support productive fisheries.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/15/2008
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
