Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired December 14, 2011 720 x 720 JPEG
Data acquired December 14, 2011 2600 x 3400 900 KB - JPEG
Data acquired December 14, 2011 11 MB - GeoTIFF
Data acquired December 14, 2011 2 KB - KML/KMZ
Shades of iridescent blue dominated the Atlantic Ocean east of the Falkland Islands in mid-December 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on December 14, 2011. Bright swirls form a giant arc hundreds of kilometers long.
The blue streak owed its existence to countless microscopic organisms. Phytoplankton—plant-like marine organisms that convert sunlight to energy—thrive in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Malvinas Current. Also known as the Falkland Current, it carries cold water along the southeast coast of South America. The phytoplankton-friendly conditions lead to frequent colorful blooms.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
Published December 16, 2011 Data acquired December 14, 2011