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)
Diatom genus Hemiaulus (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium reflexum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
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)
Gelatinous plankton salpes and Beroe (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
The seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as seen by a « water color » satellite (SeaWifs) in the Atlantic Ocean.
Profiling float (Photo : David Luquet)
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium ranipes grd mains (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the global ocean.
Dinoflagellés Ceratium massiliense var protuberans (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Jellyfish Aequorea aequorea (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Acantharia (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
