Images
August 13, 2017 - Phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Ocean
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Swirls of milky blues and greens colored the North Pacific Ocean in late July 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colors between clouds on July 21. This bloom was floating more than 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Hokkaido, Japan.
Phytoplankton are floating, microscopic, plant-like organisms that make their own food from sunlight and dissolved nutrients. Present in moderate numbers throughout the year, when sunlight, dissolved nutrients, and water temperature are just right, they can reproduce explosively, creating huge blooms that can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/21/2017
Resolutions:
1km (11.3 KB), 500m (32 KB), 250m (77.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Swirls of milky blues and greens colored the North Pacific Ocean in late July 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colors between clouds on July 21. This bloom was floating more than 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Hokkaido, Japan.
Phytoplankton are floating, microscopic, plant-like organisms that make their own food from sunlight and dissolved nutrients. Present in moderate numbers throughout the year, when sunlight, dissolved nutrients, and water temperature are just right, they can reproduce explosively, creating huge blooms that can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/21/2017
Resolutions:
1km (11.3 KB), 500m (32 KB), 250m (77.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
