Phytoplankton in the Gulf of California

Phytoplankton in the Gulf of California

The Gulf of California appears to be in full bloom in this Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) image acquired on March 22, 2001. The distribution of phytoplankton (greenish pixels) in the gulf reveals the turbulent nature of the currents there, particularly in the central and southern portions of this subtropical arm of the Pacific Ocean.

The Gulf of California is framed by Mexico's Baja peninsula on the left and that country's province of Sonora on the right. Phytoplankton blooms are also visible off the west coast of Baja in this scene. The white pixels are clouds.

Click to learn more about phytoplankton.

Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE note: All SeaWiFS images and data are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with ORBIMAGE