MSGID: 1:317/3 62a0e3c0   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   June 8, 2022 - Blooms off the East Coast of the United States   
      
      Blooms   
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      Swirls of color lingered in the Atlantic Ocean off the Mid-Atlantic and   
      Northeastern United States through early June 2022. The Moderate   
      Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra   
      satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on June 6.   
      
      Several swaths of ocean color are visible in this image. A long,   
      sinuous, cloudy-appearing length of color stretches in the deep blue   
      Atlantic parallel to the coast of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and   
      New York. A fanciful, brighter jewel-toned swirl sits south of   
      Massachusetts while a larger swirl colors the Gulf of Maine, reaching   
      from east of Massachusetts north to Maine.   
      
      These colors are produced by massive colonies of phytoplankton, which   
      are microscopic plant-like organisms that live in these waters   
      year-round in small numbers. When conditions are favorable — correct   
      water temperature, daylight length, and nutrient levels—phytoplankton   
      can reproduce explosively, creating large blooms that can easily be   
      viewed from space.   
      
      A silver-toned, mirror-like tint overlies some of the bloom in the Gulf   
      of Maine and stretches south and westward over the open Atlantic Ocean.   
      This gleam comes from an optic phenomenon known as “sunglint”. Sunglint   
      occurs when sunlight reflects off the surface of water at the same   
      angle that a satellite sensor views it. The result is a mirror-like   
      reflection of sunlight off the water and back at the satellite sensor.   
      
      Phytoplankton blooms are common in most of the world’s oceans and occur   
      regularly in the Atlantic Ocean off of the East Coast of the United   
      States in spring and summer. The color, extent of the bloom, and   
      location all change with time, currents, and water conditions. Even the   
      species of phytoplankton play a role—different species may lend   
      different colors to the bloom.   
      
      On May 17, 2022, NASA’s Earth Observatory published an image of   
      phytoplankton blooming along the Mid-Atlantic region that was acquired   
      that same day by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)   
      instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite. At that time, the bloom was more   
      intensely colored and larger than on June 6. The publication gives an   
      excellent discussion of the cause of this particular bloom, as well as   
      provides a discussion—and a video—of the importance of phytoplankton as   
      a primary fuel to life in the ocean. To view the Earth Observatory   
      article, click  here.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 6/6/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (991.9 KB),  500m (2.7 MB),  250m (1.8 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-08   
       
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