Science Visualized Oceans

Swirls of plankton decorate the Arabian Sea

Winter blooms of Noctiluca scintillans may be disrupting the marine ecosystem

satellite image of plankton in Arabian Sea

SCINTILLATING SWIRLS  In a satellite image taken February 3, plankton blooms appear as green whorls in the Arabian Sea. In recent years, an algae-filled plankton species has been changing the ecology of these waters. 

MODIS-Aqua Ocean Color Data/NASA

By Sarah Schwartz

- More than 2 years ago

Masses of plankton add swirls of green to the blue waters of the Arabian Sea in this February 3 snapshot from NASA’s Aqua satellite (Iran and Pakistan at top of the image; India, to the right).