MSGID: 1:317/3 6404d8ac   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   March 5, 2023 - Early Bloom in the North Sea   
      
      Bloom in the North Sea   
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      The waters of the North Sea were tinted with tones of green and tan in   
      early March 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      the colorful scene on March 2.   
      
      A bit of cloud wafts over the Denmark in the east and a bit of Norway’s   
      coast can be seen in the north. A halo-like wash of green and tan   
      floats just off the coast of Denmark, while the deeper waters well   
      offshore carry a dark green tint. The near-shore color is almost   
      certainly primarily sediment which has been carried into the North Sea   
      from various rivers or has been washed from the land into the Sea. The   
      deepwater colors, however, are evidence of a bloom of phytoplankton.   
      
      Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that thrive in cold,   
      nutrient-rich waters. They use photosynthesis, like their land-based   
      plant relatives, to convert sunlight into energy. It is the chlorophyll   
      in these organisms that gives them their greenish hue. When these   
      organisms concentrate in enough numbers, the mass (called a “bloom”)   
      can be seen from space.   
      
      Blooms of phytoplankton are often seen in the North Sea, typically   
      becoming brightest and most easily seen in late spring and summer. A   
      recent study published in Biogeosciences sampled the waters of the   
      North Sea off of northern Scotland, confirming that phytoplankton   
      numbers remain substantial in even in winter, when light levels are   
      low. Their sampling showed that the spring bloom, which often appears   
      at its most colorful staring in late April or May, is actually   
      initiated just after the winter solstice (late December) as   
      phytoplankton numbers begin to increase. They also found that dominant   
      phytoplankton types changed over annual cycle, with smaller species   
      predominant from November to March and larger species most common   
      during the spring bloom maximum and in summer.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 3/2/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (213.2 KB),  500m (578.7 KB),  250m (1.1 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=2023-03-05   
       
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