Images
December 19, 2025 - Late Spring Bloom in the Great Australian Bight
Tweet
The Great Australian Bight is an embayment of the Indian Ocean along the southern coast of Australia. The expansive stretch of water has a depth ranging from just 15 meters (49 feet) to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) and provides habitat for a wide range of species, including commercially important fish species such as the Australian Sardine and Southern Bluefin Tuna. Several endangered marine species also use the Bight as a home or breeding grounds, such as the Blue Whale, the Southern Right Whale, and the Australian Sea Lion.
Phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms—floating in the waters of the Bight form the base of the marine food web. Many species of phytoplankton live in these waters year-round in relatively small numbers and, when there is adequate nutrients, sunlight, oxygen, and adequate temperature, they can multiply explosively to form massive “blooms”. When this happens, the floating colonies can easily be seen from space. Blooms in the eastern Great Australian Bight are seasonal, peaking in the summers as upwelling becomes most active and waning in the cooler weather of wintertime.
On December 17, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of a late spring phytoplankton bloom in the eastern Great Australian Bight. The bright blue colors form swirls and even trace a circle, marking the action of upwelling (rising water) and currents.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/17/2025
Resolutions:
1km (141.7 KB), 500m (333.1 KB), 250m (542.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Great Australian Bight is an embayment of the Indian Ocean along the southern coast of Australia. The expansive stretch of water has a depth ranging from just 15 meters (49 feet) to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) and provides habitat for a wide range of species, including commercially important fish species such as the Australian Sardine and Southern Bluefin Tuna. Several endangered marine species also use the Bight as a home or breeding grounds, such as the Blue Whale, the Southern Right Whale, and the Australian Sea Lion.
Phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms—floating in the waters of the Bight form the base of the marine food web. Many species of phytoplankton live in these waters year-round in relatively small numbers and, when there is adequate nutrients, sunlight, oxygen, and adequate temperature, they can multiply explosively to form massive “blooms”. When this happens, the floating colonies can easily be seen from space. Blooms in the eastern Great Australian Bight are seasonal, peaking in the summers as upwelling becomes most active and waning in the cooler weather of wintertime.
On December 17, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of a late spring phytoplankton bloom in the eastern Great Australian Bight. The bright blue colors form swirls and even trace a circle, marking the action of upwelling (rising water) and currents.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/17/2025
Resolutions:
1km (141.7 KB), 500m (333.1 KB), 250m (542.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
