Rosette used to collect seawater samples during a scientific cruise in the South Pacific Ocean. During the austral summer, the amount of chlorophyll a is so low that the water becomes deep blue, almost purple. (Photo : Joséphine Ras)
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Vue sous-marine d'un groupe de mésocosmes montrant la structure de flottaison en surface (© Stareso)
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)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium arietinum var arietinum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium gravidum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Tunicata Pyrosoma (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Gelatinous plankton Pelagia and Ctenophores (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.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium macroceros var macroceros (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Larva of decapod crustacean (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
Animation of the biosphere obtained from the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Diatom genus Hemiaulus (Photo : Sophie Marro)
