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)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium gravidum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Les mésocosmes déployés dans la rade de Villefranche (© L. Maugendre, LOV)
Rosette for collecting seawater samples
Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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)
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Elephant seal equipped with a sensor
Jellyfish Pelagia noctilica (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
This video describes how to perform the Ludion experiment and explains the physical processes involved.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium praelongum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium extensum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Colony of dinoflagellates Ceratium hexacanthum. In the video, one can observe the movement of the flagella. (Video : Sophie Marro)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium carriense var volans (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Krill (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
