Coccolithophore (Photo : Sophie Marro)
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.
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
Cténophores - Orgie de couleurs
Vagues de lumière iridescentes, à l'affût de proies, voici les cténophores.
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Gelatinous plankton Pelagia and Ctenophores (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Carte bathymétrique de la Mer Méditerranée
Dinoflagellate Ceratium gravidum (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)
Dinoflagellés Ceratium massiliense var protuberans (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the global ocean.
Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
Scientists collecting seawater samples from the rosette (Photo : Stacy Knapp, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Colony of salps Salpa fusiformis (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
The research vessel "James COOK"
