April 5, 2022 - Phytoplankton Bloom off of Argentina
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Bright milky-blue tones colored the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast
of Argentina in early April 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a
true-color image of the striking hues on April 2. The brightest line of
color stretches about 1,000 km (620 miles) southward from the same
latitude as the mid-Rio de la Plata, disappearing under clouds in the
south as the bright hues dim and the streak broadens.
These jewel-like tones mark the presence of a huge bloom of
microscopic, plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton. They live in
these waters year-round, but when conditions are just right (water
temperature, daylight length, and abundant nutrients), phytoplankton
can reproduce explosively to create massive blooms that can be easily
seen from space.
Phytoplankton thrive in the ocean waters off the Argentine coast,
thanks to the waters’ cool temperature and richness of nutrients. In
this area, the Malvinas (Falkland) Current sweeps northward along the
continental shelf, bringing with it cold water from the Southern Ocean.
The action of the current sweeping along the edge of the shelf pulls
nutrients up from the ocean floor. These nutrients serve as a natural
fertilizer that promotes phytoplankton growth.
Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 4/2/2022
Resolutions: 1km (781.2 KB), 500m (2.2 MB), 250m (3.1 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=2022-04-05
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