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October 7, 2021 - Phytoplankton Bloom off of Greenland
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Swirls of turquoise, milky blue, and green swirled in the dark waters off the coast of Greenland in early October 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colorful scene on October 5.
The jewel-toned colors are primarily caused by a large bloom of phytoplankton. These microscopic plant-like organisms live in the cold waters off of Greenland’s coast year-round. About 35 percent of Greenland’s glaciers flow into the ocean, where they disperse large volumes of meltwater below sea level. These slow-moving glaciers sweep sediment along with them, creating nutrient-rich plumes that stretch into the ocean then rise upward to spur explosive growth of phytoplankton.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/5/2021
Resolutions:
1km (357.1 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Swirls of turquoise, milky blue, and green swirled in the dark waters off the coast of Greenland in early October 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colorful scene on October 5.
The jewel-toned colors are primarily caused by a large bloom of phytoplankton. These microscopic plant-like organisms live in the cold waters off of Greenland’s coast year-round. About 35 percent of Greenland’s glaciers flow into the ocean, where they disperse large volumes of meltwater below sea level. These slow-moving glaciers sweep sediment along with them, creating nutrient-rich plumes that stretch into the ocean then rise upward to spur explosive growth of phytoplankton.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/5/2021
Resolutions:
1km (357.1 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
