Chlorophyll and Currents in the Red Sea

his image shows chlorophyll concentrations in the waters of the Red Sea observed by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) on March 16, 2000. The chlorophyll is present inside single-celled marine plants called phytoplankton, which use the pigment to harvest light for photosynthesis. Places where concentrations of phytoplankton were high are colored yellow. Like the arid terrain surrounding it, the Red Sea is not especially productive. A few patches of blooming plants (yellow swirls) are surrounding by large areas of relatively unproductive waters (blue).

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NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using SeaWiFS data provided courtesy of Jim Acker.

Published September 13, 2007
Data acquired March 16, 2000

Source:

OrbView-2 > SeaWiFS