MSGID: 1:317/3 62f69525   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   August 12, 2022 - Blooms North of Scandinavia   
      
      Blooms   
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      On August 5, 2022, clouds covering the Barents Sea opened just as   
      NASA’s Terra satellite passed overhead, allowing the Moderate   
      Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board to capture a   
      true-color image of brilliant swirls of blues and greens.   
      
      The spectacular color was created by a massive bloom of phytoplankton,   
      which are microscopic plant-like organisms that live in these waters   
      year-round. It’s only when conditions are perfect—the right water   
      temperatures, daylight length, and nutrient load—that phytoplankton   
      reproduce explosively to create huge blooms such as this. This view is   
      a rare treat, since the Barents Sea sits under cloud cover about 80 per   
      cent of time during the summer months.   
      
      Many different species of phytoplankton live in this region, each   
      lending slightly different colors to the waters when they predominate   
      in a bloom. One specific type of phytoplankton common in the high light   
      levels of the Arctic summer are called coccolithophores. They are   
      unique as they contain plates made out of calcium carbonate, a   
      chalk-colored substance that lends a milky tone to blooms rich in these   
      organisms. The color of this Barents Sea bloom suggests it is rich in   
      coccolithophores.   
      
      The bloom is located north of the Scandinavian Peninsula and south of   
      Svalbard archipelago, in a shallow area of the Barents Sea where   
      several ocean current systems merge and to form the North Cape Current.   
      The clashing of currents creates mixing of waters and raises nutrients   
      from the sea floor, and also helps paint a swirling image as the   
      colorful floating bloom is swept along by eddies. The Barents Sea is   
      ice-covered for most of the year and reaches its warmest temperatures   
      in August, creating perfect conditions for phytoplankton blooms.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 8/5/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (180.4 KB),  500m (512 KB),  250m (1.3 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=2022-08-12   
       
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