Les Dinoflagellés - Ceratium gravidum

Les mésocosmes déployés dans la rade de Villefranche (© L. Maugendre, LOV)

World ocean currents map

Rosette used to collect seawater samples during a scientific cruise in the South Pacific Ocean. During the austral summer, the amount of chlorophyll a is so low that the water becomes deep blue, almost purple. (Photo : Joséphine Ras)

Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the global ocean.

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

Dinoflagellate Ceratium macroceros var macroceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)

Siphonophores Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Amphipode crustacean (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Tunicata Pyrosoma (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Acantharia (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Satellite observation (GEOS-12) of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 in the Gulf of Mexico - Source : NASA-NOAA

Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

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The seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as seen by a « water color » satellite (SeaWifs) in the Atlantic Ocean.

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)

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Siphonophores - The longest animals on the planet
Cousins of corals, siphonophores are colonies of specialized individuals called zoids. Some catch and digest their prey, others swim, or lay eggs or sperm.

Elephant seal equipped with a sensor

Trimaran of INSU