Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
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)
Appendicularia Oikopleura dioica (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium ranipes grd mains (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Satellite observation (GEOS-12) of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 in the Gulf of Mexico - Source : NASA-NOAA
Les mésocosmes déployés dans la rade de Villefranche (© L. Maugendre, LOV)
Underwater glider (Photo : David Luquet)
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.
Coccolithophore (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Squid larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Radiolarians (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Les Dinoflagellés - Ceratium hexacanthum
chaîne de Ceratium hexacanthum qui restent les uns à la suites des autres au fur et à mesure des divisions.
Le mouvement des flagelles est bien visible.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium gravidum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
