September 12, 2020 - Phytoplankton Bloom off Alaska

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   Phytoplankton Bloom off Alaska
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   Swirls of jewel-toned colors marked a large bloom of phytoplankton in
   the Bering Sea off of Alaska. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
   Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a
   true-color image of the late-summer bloom on September 4.

   Phytoplankton are tiny, plant-like marine organisms that thrive in cold
   water rich in nutrients. Like their terrestrial plant cousins,
   phytoplankton convert sunlight to energy, and the green chlorophyll
   that facilitates photosynthesis, combined with the blue of the sea
   water, often creates a brilliant blue-green colors as large colonies
   float of the surface of the ocean.

   Blooms in the Bering Sea typically increase in spring, when nutrients
   and freshened water (from melting ice) are more abundant near the ocean
   surface. Then phytoplankton populations usually plummet in summertime
   after exhausting the nutrients in surface waters or falling prey to
   ocean grazers. By autumn, however, storms and cooler water allow
   nutrients to mix back to the surface, fueling more blooms.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 9/4/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (367.5 KB),  500m (998.6 KB),  250m (2.8 MB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2020-09-12
 
