March 25, 2021 - Arabian Sea Phytoplankton Bloom and Sunglint

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   Swirls of pale blue filled the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman in
   late March 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of
   the scene on March 24.

   The color marks a large bloom of phytoplankton, which are microscopic
   plant-like organisms that live in these waters in smaller numbers
   year-round. When conditions are right—enough sunlight, nutrients, and
   favorable water temperatures—these tiny organisms can reproduce
   explosively, creating huge blooms that are easily seen from space.

   While a large blue bloom appears off the coast of Oman, all the water
   seen in this image carries color created by phytoplankton, other than
   the silver gleam in the lower left. This gleam is caused by sunglint,
   an optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight reflects off the
   surface of water at the same angle that a satellite sensor views it.
   The result is a mirror-like specular reflection of sunlight off the
   water and back at the satellite sensor or astronaut.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 3/23/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (987.1 KB),  500m (2.7 MB),  250m (5.7 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=2021-03-25
 
