Images
December 5, 2025 - Bloom off of South America
Tweet
Spectacular streaks and swirls of blue and green colored the Atlantic Ocean off of Argentina in late November 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on November 28.
The bright colors mark a massive bloom of phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms that live in these waters year-round. Given correct water temperature, enough sunlight, and plenty of nutrients, phytoplankton can reproduce explosively to create huge blooms (floating colonies) that can easily be seen from space. The blue and green tones are caused by sunlight reflecting off chlorophyll and other pigments carried in the single-cell organisms.
Phytoplankton blooms occur regularly in this area due to the existence of a “convergence zone”, which is an area where two strong currents strike each other. In this region of the Atlantic Ocean, the warmer and lower-nutrient Brazil current flows southward along the South American coast. At the same time, the Falkland Current carries cold water northward. Convergence occurs roughly around 39 degrees south latitude and the turbulence causes upwelling, which draws cold and nutrient-rich water upward from the ocean depths. The blending of the currents as well as upwelling creates perfect conditions to support massive phytoplankton blooms.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/28/2025
Resolutions:
1km (636.5 KB), 500m (1.9 MB), 250m (4.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Spectacular streaks and swirls of blue and green colored the Atlantic Ocean off of Argentina in late November 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on November 28.
The bright colors mark a massive bloom of phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms that live in these waters year-round. Given correct water temperature, enough sunlight, and plenty of nutrients, phytoplankton can reproduce explosively to create huge blooms (floating colonies) that can easily be seen from space. The blue and green tones are caused by sunlight reflecting off chlorophyll and other pigments carried in the single-cell organisms.
Phytoplankton blooms occur regularly in this area due to the existence of a “convergence zone”, which is an area where two strong currents strike each other. In this region of the Atlantic Ocean, the warmer and lower-nutrient Brazil current flows southward along the South American coast. At the same time, the Falkland Current carries cold water northward. Convergence occurs roughly around 39 degrees south latitude and the turbulence causes upwelling, which draws cold and nutrient-rich water upward from the ocean depths. The blending of the currents as well as upwelling creates perfect conditions to support massive phytoplankton blooms.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/28/2025
Resolutions:
1km (636.5 KB), 500m (1.9 MB), 250m (4.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
