A large coccolithophore bloom off the southern coast of Newfoundland colored the normally dark North Atlantic waters a bright turquoise on July 29, 2002. There appears to be another, perhaps larger bloom of a different type of phytoplankton to the southeast of Newfoundland, mostly obscured by clouds in this image. There are also quite a few airplane contrails visible along Newfoundland’s west coast. This true-color scene was acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), flying aboard the OrbView-2 satellite.
To learn more about coccolithophores, read the NASA fact sheet, or check out the feature article entitled Changing Currents Color the Bering Sea a New Shade of Blue.
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This image originally appeared on the Earth Observatory. Click here to view the full, original record.