NASA Satellites Confirm 2 Phytoplankton Blooms Off Mid-Atlantic Coast as PACE Sharpens Coastal Detection
Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · May 11
NASA Satellites Confirm 2 Phytoplankton Blooms Off Mid-Atlantic Coast as PACE Sharpens Coastal Detection
2 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · May 11
PACE, Aqua and Terra detected lingering brown, blue-green and turquoise waters off New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, confirming phytoplankton blooms in the Mid-Atlantic Bight from early April.
PACE chlorophyll maps showed at least part of the offshore greens and blues were biological blooms, helping separate them from river runoff, suspended sediment and storm-churned coastal waters.
NASA scientists said spring diatoms appear to dominate, with signs of coccolithophores mixed in—an unusual combination for shallow coastal waters that are typically harder to classify from space.
River runoff, stronger sunlight and seasonal winds and currents likely fueled the blooms by bringing cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface, though researchers expect them to fade in coming weeks unless storms or outflows replenish nutrients.
Phytoplankton underpin marine food webs and carbon cycling; coccolithophores alone account for about one-half of modern calcium carbonate precipitation in the ocean.
As oceans turn greener globally, is this Atlantic bloom a sign of a healthier planet or a system spiraling out of balance?
This giant plankton bloom feeds the ocean, but is climate change turning this vital food source into 'junk food' for marine life?
With new satellites seeing the ocean in unprecedented detail, what hidden climate and marine life secrets are we about to uncover?