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December 20, 2022 - Bloom around Falkland Islands
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Brilliant jewel-toned swirls colored the dark waters surrounding the sedate landscape of the Falklands Islands in mid-December 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the spectacular scene on December 19.
The Falkland Islands, also known as Islas Malvinas, are a group of more than 700 islands situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km (310 miles) east of southern Argentina. Just two of the islands—East Falkland and West Falkland—comprise the bulk of the Connecticut-sized landmass.
The bright colors lighting up the Southern Ocean are caused by massive populations of microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. These tiny organisms contain chlorophyll and other pigments and thrive in nutrient-rich waters, such as can be found in the Malvinas (Falkland) Current which sweeps cold water from near the Antarctic northward and around the Falkland Islands. As sunlight begins to lengthen in the springtime, the combination of abundant light and dense nutrients proves a heady concoction for phytoplankton, spurring them to reproduce explosively. This often results in huge floating blooms which can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/19/2022
Resolutions:
1km (536.1 KB), 500m (1.3 MB), 250m (670.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Brilliant jewel-toned swirls colored the dark waters surrounding the sedate landscape of the Falklands Islands in mid-December 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the spectacular scene on December 19.
The Falkland Islands, also known as Islas Malvinas, are a group of more than 700 islands situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km (310 miles) east of southern Argentina. Just two of the islands—East Falkland and West Falkland—comprise the bulk of the Connecticut-sized landmass.
The bright colors lighting up the Southern Ocean are caused by massive populations of microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. These tiny organisms contain chlorophyll and other pigments and thrive in nutrient-rich waters, such as can be found in the Malvinas (Falkland) Current which sweeps cold water from near the Antarctic northward and around the Falkland Islands. As sunlight begins to lengthen in the springtime, the combination of abundant light and dense nutrients proves a heady concoction for phytoplankton, spurring them to reproduce explosively. This often results in huge floating blooms which can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/19/2022
Resolutions:
1km (536.1 KB), 500m (1.3 MB), 250m (670.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
