May 22, 2021 - Bloom off South Australia province

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   Bloom off South Australia province
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   A colorful bloom of phytoplankton swirled in the Great Australian Bight
   south of the Fleurieu Peninsula in autumn 2021. The Moderate Resolution
   Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite
   acquired this true-color image on May 21.

   Phytoplankton are microscopic marine organisms that thrive in
   nutrient-rich cold waters. The striking turquoise color is caused in
   part by sunlight reflecting off of chlorophyll in the phytoplankton,
   which (like terrestrial plants) use the process of photosynthesis to
   create carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. The milky-blue tone
   of the bloom suggests that the phytoplankton are probably a species
   contain a coat of calcium carbonate, white chalk, which lends a white
   tint to the organisms.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 5/21/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (404.4 KB),  500m (1005.9 KB),  250m (2.3
   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=2021-05-22
 
