Dinoflagellate Ceratium gravidum. In the video one can observe the movement of one of the two flagella. (Video : Sophie Marro)
Jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Underwater glider (Photo : David Luquet)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Diatom genus Rhizosolenia (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Diatom genus Chaetoceros (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.
Rosette for collecting seawater samples
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Crab larva (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)
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Siphonophores Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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)
Les mésocosmes déployés dans la rade de Villefranche en face de l'observatoire océanologique de Villefranche (© L. Maugendre, LOV)
Diatom genus Hemiaulus (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
