Diatom genus Cylindrotheca (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)
Larva of decapod crustacean (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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.
Sea Urchin - Planktonic Origins
Barely visible to the naked eye, sea urchin larvae grow and transform into bottom-dwelling urchins.
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Carte bathymétrique mondiale
Diatom genus Chaetoceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Gelatinous plankton Mneniopsis (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Embryos and larvae
Drifting in the currents, embryos and larvae perpetuate the species and are food for multitudes.
Pelagia - Fearsome Jellyfish
Mauve jellies move in droves, their nasty stings feared by swimmers.
Illustration in synthesized images of the seasons of the ocean: a year from the Antarctic - Animation Clement Fontana
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Profiling float (Photo : David Luquet)
Mollusk (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
