NASA MODIS Image of the Day: November 14, 2011 – Phytoplankton bloom off Argentina
On a sunny spring day in November, 2011, the clouds parted over coastal Argentina to reveal a massive bloom of phytoplankton coloring the ocean waters.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on November 5, 2011.
The milky blue and green swirls are evidence of exuberant growth of microscopic plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton. These organisms contain pigments, including chlorophyll, which appear in varying shades of blues and greens, depending on the species. When they reflect sunlight, the bloom appears as a spectacular array of colors. The bloom developed where the warm salty waters of the subtropical Brazil Current flow south to meet and mix with the colder, fresher waters of the Southern Ocean carried northward by the Falklands (Malvinas) Current. Also, several major rivers, including the Rio de la Plata, spill into the ocean in this region, deposit nitrogen and iron-rich sediment which spurs the growth of the organisms.
