Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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)
Dinoflagellates Ceratium platycorne var platycorne (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Ocean color satellites travel around the Earth at an altitude of about 700 to 800 km.
Remote-controlled sailboat
Pleurobrachia
Propulsées par huit rangées de peignes, les groseilles de mer déploient deux longs tentacules pour pêcher des crustacés.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium falcatum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
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.
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Gelatinous plankton salpes and Beroe (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
