Images
October 24, 2022 - Bloom in the Bass Strait
Tweet
The deep blue waters of the Bass Strait were stained with the jewel-like tones of a spring phytoplankton bloom in mid-October 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colorful scene on October 20.
The Bass Strait is about 124 miles (200 km) wide, separating Australia (north) and Tasmania (south). Said to be twice as wide and twice as rough as the English Channel, the generally-shallow waters of the strait sit on complex bottom topography that creates a richly biodiverse marine ecosystem.
Phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms—live in the Bass Strait year-round. When conditions are favorable, they can reproduce explosively to create massive blooms that can easily be seen from space. Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain, thus help maintain the wide array of marine life teeming within the Bass Strait.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/20/2022
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m (743.2 KB), 250m (2.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The deep blue waters of the Bass Strait were stained with the jewel-like tones of a spring phytoplankton bloom in mid-October 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the colorful scene on October 20.
The Bass Strait is about 124 miles (200 km) wide, separating Australia (north) and Tasmania (south). Said to be twice as wide and twice as rough as the English Channel, the generally-shallow waters of the strait sit on complex bottom topography that creates a richly biodiverse marine ecosystem.
Phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms—live in the Bass Strait year-round. When conditions are favorable, they can reproduce explosively to create massive blooms that can easily be seen from space. Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain, thus help maintain the wide array of marine life teeming within the Bass Strait.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/20/2022
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m (743.2 KB), 250m (2.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
