Subj : MODIS Pic of the Day 28 March 2023
To   : All
From : Dan Richter
Date : Tue Mar 28 2023 12:00:42

March 28, 2023 - Bloom off of Namibia

   Bloom
    Tweet
    Share

   Glimmers of green colored the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean off
   the northern Namibian coast in late March 2023. The Moderate Resolution
   Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite
   acquired a true-color image of the scene on March 26.

   The peacock-green streaks and swirls mark a large mass of floating
   phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like creatures that live in these
   waters year-round. When conditions are favorable, the tiny organisms
   can reproduce explosively to create large colonies that can easily be
   seen from space.

   The location of this bloom occurs over a continental shelf off of the
   African continent, and in an area washed by the highly productive
   Benguela current system. This current flows along the ocean surface,
   moving north and west along the coast from southern Africa, and is
   enriched by dust blowing off the coastal deserts, including the
   beautiful orange sands of the Namib Desert. Easterly winds push surface
   waters offshore and promote upwelling, which carries cold,
   nutrient-rich waters up from the seafloor to the upper layers where
   phytoplankton are found and often spurs colorful blooms.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 3/26/2023
   Resolutions:  1km (249 KB),  500m (566.6 KB),  250m (349.4 KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-03-28
 
--- up 1 year, 4 weeks, 1 day, 20 minutes
 * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

.