North Pacific Bloom - related image preview

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North Pacific Bloom

Many images are made of relatively bright phytoplankton blooms. However, not all such blooms reflect more light than they absorb. SeaWiFS collected this image of a patch in the north Pacific that had been darkened because the photosynthetic pigments of the phytoplankton living there had absorbed more of the incoming solar radiation than the relatively phytoplankton-poor surrounding waters.

The Hawaiian islands can be seen through the clouds about 1000 kilometers to the southwest of the patch.


Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

Published September 19, 2000
Data acquired September 19, 2000

Source:
OrbView-2 > SeaWiFS
Topics:
Biosphere > Microbiota > Phytoplankton
Biosphere > Terrestrial Habitat > Islands
Biosphere > Vegetation > Phytoplankton