Carte bathymétrique de la Mer Méditerranée
Diatoms - Life in glass houses
Champions of photosynthesis, these unicellular organisms appeared at the time of dinosaurs.They produce a quarter of the oxygen we breathe.
 
 
 
			Mollusk  (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
	Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
 
 
 
			
Seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as obtained by the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS in the Atlantic Ocean.
 
 
 
 
 
			
Ptéropodes - Mollusques qui nagent
Les papillons des mers construisent de fragiles coquilles. Résisteront-elles à l’acidification des océans?
  
			Gelatinous plankton Pelagia and Ctenophores  (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Les Diatomées - Bacillaria
Colonie de diatomées du genre Bacillaria dont les individus peuvent glisser les uns par rapport aux autres.
  
			
			Ciliate (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
 
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Cténophores - Orgie de couleurs
Vagues de lumière iridescentes, à l'affût de proies, voici les cténophores.
 
 
 
			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)
Profiling float (Photo : David Luquet)
Underwater glider (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.
 
 
 
			Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)