Phytoplankton bloom along the coast of New Zealand

Phytoplankton bloom along the coast of New Zealand

  • Credit:

    Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

A large bloom of phytoplankton off the coast of New Zealand is visible in this true-color MODIS image acquired April 7, 2002. Phytoplankton is a microscopic marine organism that uses chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Sunlight reflects off of the organisms and results in a bright blue-green color.

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Metadata

  • Sensor:

    Terra - MODIS

  • Data Date:

    April 7 - 7, 2002

  • Visualization Date:

    April 18, 2002
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