Earth from Space: Water art

7 December 2007

The vibrant aquamarine-coloured swirls of a plankton bloom decorate the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean just off the shores of the Republic of Namibia in this Envisat image.



With their ability to ‘digest’ these compounds, they are credited with removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as their earthbound ‘cousins’. As a result, the oceans have a profound influence on climate. Since plankton are a major influence on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and are sensitive to environmental changes, it is important to monitor and model them into calculations of future climate change.



This 6 November 2007 image was acquired by MERIS while working in Full Resolution mode to provide a spatial resolution of 300 metres.
