Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Les Diatomées - Bacillaria
Colonie de diatomées du genre Bacillaria dont les individus peuvent glisser les uns par rapport aux autres.
Animation of the biosphere obtained from the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS
Carte de la camapagne du navire oceanographique James COOK
Le trajet du bateau sur fond couleur de la mer.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Gelatinous plankton salpes and Beroe (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Diatom genus Chaetoceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Colony of dinoflagellates Ceratium hexacanthum. In the video, one can observe the movement of the flagella. (Video : 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)
Radiolarians (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Satellite observation (GEOS-12) of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 in the Gulf of Mexico - Source : NASA-NOAA
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
