Millions of tiny, single-celled plant-like organisms ring the Falkland Islands in this photo-like image taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on January 13, 2008. These organisms, called phytoplankton, reflect light, coloring the ocean with whimsical swirls of blue and green.
Published Jan 15, 2008
The tiniest of living organisms exert an outsized influence on the planet by producing vast amounts of oxygen.
Published Feb 7, 2016
Iridescent shades of peacock blue and emerald green decorated the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina on December 24, 2007. Though hundreds of kilometers in length, these bright bands of color were formed by miniscule objects—tiny surface-dwelling ocean plants known as phytoplankton.
Published Dec 27, 2007
The milky green and blue phytoplankton developed where warmer, saltier coastal waters from the subtropics meet colder, fresher waters flowing from the south.
Published Dec 23, 2018
Phytoplankton explode in population along the shelf-break front off Argentina.
Published Dec 1, 2013
Intense streaks of blue and green colored the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina on November 15, 2009.
Published Nov 21, 2009
In several decades of observing the ocean with satellites, our vision has changed as much as the sea.
Published Apr 30, 2019
Swirls of iridescent green decorated the South Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand’s South Island on January 5, 2008.
Published Jan 10, 2008
