Puzzle Ocean Seasons : Bloom

Phytoplankton bloom observed in the Barents Sea (North of Norway) in August 2010 by the ocean color sensor MODIS onboard NASA satellite Aqua. Changes in ocean color result from modifications in the phytoplankton composition and concentration. The green colors are likely associated with the presence of diatoms. The shades of light blue result from the occurrence of coccolithophores, phytoplankton organisms that strongly reflect light due to their chalky shells - Source : NASA's Earth Observatory (http:/earthobservatory.nasa.gov)

Dinoflagellate Ceratium tripos (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni

Dinoflagellate Ceratium macroceros var macroceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Average chlorophyll concentration in the surface ocean (from mi-September 1997 to August 2007) from the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS (NASA). Subtropical gyres, in the center of the oceanic basins, are characterized by very low concentrations of chlorophyll a (dark blue) - Source : NASA's Earth Observatory (http:/earthobservatory.nasa.gov)

Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)

Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)

Dinoflagellate Ceratium reflexum (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)

Ocean color satellites travel around the Earth at an altitude of about 700 to 800 km.

Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Diatom genus Cylindrotheca (Photo : Sophie Marro)

PLAY ANIMATION

Illustration in synthesized images of the seasons of the ocean: a year from the Antarctic - Animation Clement Fontana

Foraminifera Orbulina universa and mollusk larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Annelid worm (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

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Salpes - La vie enchaînée
Bien que d’apparence primitive, les salpes sont de proches ancêtres des poissons. Lorsque les algues abondent, les salpes prolifèrent en de longues chaînes d’individus clonés.