Subj : MODIS Pic of the Day 19 August 2022
To   : All
From : Dan Richter
Date : Fri Aug 19 2022 12:00:40

August 19, 2022 - Bloom in the Barents Sea

   Bloom
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   A massive and spectacular phytoplankton bloom filled the Barents Sea
   with swirls of blues and green in mid-August 2022. The Moderate
   Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua
   satellite acquired a true-color image of colorful waters off of the
   northeastern coast of Norway and northwestern coast of Russia.

   Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms that are the
   foundation of the marine food web. Like plants, they contain
   chlorophyll and other pigments that they use to harvest sunlight for
   photosynthesis. They live in the waters of the Barents Sea year-round.
   In winter, frigid water temperatures and extremely short daylength
   aren’t favorable for reproduction so their numbers are relatively
   small. In late spring and summer, temperatures rise, the sun shines for
   most of each day, sea ice melts, and nutrient levels rise,
   phytoplankton can reproduce explosively, creating massive colorful
   blooms, such as this one. The Barents Sea bloom normally peaks in
   August, before cold weather and shortening days rapidly return to the
   region.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 8/17/2022
   Resolutions:  1km (341.2 KB),  500m (947.7 KB),  250m (2.7 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=2022-08-19
 
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