Plankton
Plankton are a multitude of living organisms adrift in the currents.Our food, our fuel, and the air we breathe originate in plankton.
Siphonophores Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Rosette used to collect seawater samples during a scientific cruise in the South Pacific Ocean. (Photo : Joséphine Ras)
Remote-controlled sailboat
Diatom genus Hemiaulus (Photo : Sophie Marro)
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)
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.
Radiolarians (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Ceratium - Capter la lumière avec ses doigts
Ceratium appartient à l'immense groupe des dinoflagellés.
This video describes how to perform the Ludion experiment and explains the physical processes involved.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Scientists collecting seawater samples from the rosette (Photo : Stacy Knapp, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Embryos and larvae
Drifting in the currents, embryos and larvae perpetuate the species and are food for multitudes.
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)
Corail profond : Pour un niveau d'acidité prévu pour la fin du siècle, une diminution de construction de son squelette de 50 % a été mesurée chez le corail d'eaux froides Lophelia pertusa. Les communautés coralliennes d'eaux froides abritent un grand nombre d'espèces. Une diminution de la croissance des coraux constructeurs par l'acidification des océans peut menacer l'existence même de ces édifices. © C. Maier, LOV
Appendiculaires - Ils vivent dans leurs filets
L’appendiculaire, proche ancêtre des vertébrés, fabrique des logettes aux filtres délicats à la fois résidence et filet de pêche.
Instrumented buoy (Photo : Emilie Diamond)
