August 19, 2022 - Bloom in the Barents Sea
Bloom
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A massive and spectacular phytoplankton bloom filled the Barents Sea
with swirls of blues and green in mid-August 2022. The Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua
satellite acquired a true-color image of colorful waters off of the
northeastern coast of Norway and northwestern coast of Russia.
Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms that are the
foundation of the marine food web. Like plants, they contain
chlorophyll and other pigments that they use to harvest sunlight for
photosynthesis. They live in the waters of the Barents Sea year-round.
In winter, frigid water temperatures and extremely short daylength
aren’t favorable for reproduction so their numbers are relatively
small. In late spring and summer, temperatures rise, the sun shines for
most of each day, sea ice melts, and nutrient levels rise,
phytoplankton can reproduce explosively, creating massive colorful
blooms, such as this one. The Barents Sea bloom normally peaks in
August, before cold weather and shortening days rapidly return to the
region.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/17/2022
Resolutions: 1km (341.2 KB), 500m (947.7 KB), 250m (2.7 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=2022-08-19
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