The seasonal evolution of the chlorophyll a concentration as seen by a « water color » satellite (SeaWifs) in the Atlantic Ocean.
Jellyfish Aequorea aequorea (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
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)
Animation of the biosphere obtained from the ocean color sensor SeaWiFS
Squid larva (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Sea Urchin - Planktonic Origins
Barely visible to the naked eye, sea urchin larvae grow and transform into bottom-dwelling urchins.
Jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Deployment of a profiling float (Photo : Jean-Jacques Pangrazi)
Dinoflagellate Ceratium arietinum var arietinum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Embryos and larvae
Drifting in the currents, embryos and larvae perpetuate the species and are food for multitudes.
Foraminifera Ruber (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Velella - Planktonic Vessels
Colonies of polyps transported by prevailing winds, velella drift at the surface of warm seas.
Dinoflagellates Ceratium platycorne var platycorne (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Drifting profiling floats in the Atlantic
Gelatinous plankton Pelagia and Ctenophores (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Phronimes - Monstres des tonneaux
Recyclant salpes et méduses, la femelle phronime construit des tonneaux gélatineux et y élève sa progéniture.
Cténophores - Orgie de couleurs
Vagues de lumière iridescentes, à l'affût de proies, voici les cténophores.
