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)
Foraminifera Ruber (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Siphonophores Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Préparation et mise à l'eau des mésocosmes sur le ponton de l'observatoire océanologique de Villefranche lors de l'expérience menée en rade de Villefranche en février 2013 (© L. Maugendre, LOV)
Jellyfish Leuckaztiara octona (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium pentagonum var robustum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Diatoms - Life in glass houses
Champions of photosynthesis, these unicellular organisms appeared at the time of dinosaurs.They produce a quarter of the oxygen we breathe.
Underwater glider (Photo : David Luquet)
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
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.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium macroceros var macroceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Drifting profiling floats in the Atlantic
Jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Acantharia (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
