May 31, 2022 - Ocean Color off the Coast of Southeastern Brazil

Blooms along Brazil
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A halo of turquoise colored the waters off the coast of southeastern
Brazil in late May 2022, creating gorgeous swirls in the South Atlantic
Ocean. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on
board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colorful
stains on May 24.

These swirls are likely created by a combination of sediment and by a
bloom of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like organisms that
live in these waters year-round in small numbers. When conditions are
just right (adequate nutrients, correct daylight length, and favorable
water temperature), phytoplankton often begin to reproduce explosively
to create large floating “blooms” that can easily be seen from space.
Such blooms are common in this location, off the Brazilian states of
Santa Catarina (north) and Rio Grade de Sul, which lies in the south
and encompasses most of the land in the image, and much of the color in
the offshore waters can most likely be attributed to phytoplankton.

When sediment is swept into ocean waters, most often by rivers pouring
into the ocean or from rains washing sediment off the shoreline, the
sediment appears tan near the surface of the ocean. However, as
sediment sinks under water, its reflectivity changes—and so does its
appearance from space. Sediment will change from a muddy tan to green
and then to blue as it sinks deeper. An example of this color change
can be seen in the Lagoa de Patos, the large enclosed lagoon seen near
the southern coast. The northern section of the Lagoa de Patos, where
sediment is thick and sitting near the top of the water, appears muddy
tan. Moving toward the south, sediment is settling and takes on a green
appearance. The South Atlantic Ocean just off the beach next to the
Lagoa de Patos also appears green, undoubtedly from similar settling of
sediment.

Northeastern Brazil has been battered by severe rain and floods since
early 2022, with at least four major flooding events within five
months. These floods have also triggered deadly landslides, as well as
filled rivers with sediment and debris. According to new reports on May
30, 56 people were reported killed by flood or landslides in the
northeastern state of Pernambuco and another 56 were missing. One
person has been reported dead in Alagoas as well. While the section of
Brazil seen in this image was not directly hit by the most recent
floods, it is likely that major rivers are transporting more sediment
than usual, and this also is contributing to the near-shore color of
the water off southeastern Brazil.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/24/2022
Resolutions: 1km (414.7 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (740.7 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-05-31

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