Seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as obtained by the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS in the Atlantic Ocean.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Amphipode crustacean (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Surface chlorophyll a concentration in the Mediterranean Sea.
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.
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Sea Urchin - Planktonic Origins
Barely visible to the naked eye, sea urchin larvae grow and transform into bottom-dwelling urchins.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Profiling float (Photo : David Luquet)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Les Dinoflagellés - Ceratium gravidum
Ceratium gravidum dont en voit parfaitement les mouvements d’un des deux flagelles.
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)
