A year from the Arctic

he seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as seen by a « water color » satellite (SeaWifs) in the Atlantic Ocean

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Seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as obtained by the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS in the Atlantic Ocean.

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)

Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)

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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.

Diatom species Odontella mobiliensis (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Corail profond : Pour un niveau d'acidité prévu pour la fin du siècle, une diminution de construction de son squelette de 50 % a été mesurée chez le corail d'eaux froides Lophelia pertusa. Les communautés coralliennes d'eaux froides abritent un grand nombre d'espèces. Une diminution de la croissance des coraux constructeurs par l'acidification des océans peut menacer l'existence même de ces édifices. © C. Maier, LOV

Dinoflagellates Ceratium platycorne var platycorne (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the Mediterranean Sea.

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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.

Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni

Jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)

Dinoflagellate Ceratium reflexum (Photo : Sophie Marro)

Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)

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The Glider

Squid larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)

Underwater glider (Photo : David Luquet)