The spring bloom in the North sea

With the arrival of spring on the land begins to green grass, blooming trees and primroses. And the ocean is no exception. Pripraveny sunlight, he also begins to bloom. Tiny organisms called phytoplankton that float near the surface and turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. They themselves become food for grazing zooplankton, molluscs and marine fish.

On Saturday, may 5, Landsat-8 captured the phytoplankton bloom in the North sea. The next day, the satellite "Aqua" seen the same picture in a wider context.

More dairy light water probably filled coccolithophore, and more green areas — diatom algae. To know the required water samples. The brightness of the color can reflect the density of phytoplankton, while the different swirls and shapes — the complex movements of currents, eddies and tides.

The most common phytoplankton in the North sea in late spring and early summer due to high nutrient levels in the water. The melting of sea ice and increased runoff from European rivers carry a large mass of nutrients in the sea and desalinate surface water. In addition, intense seasonal winds blowing over relatively shallow sea, stirred the water, bringing nutrients to the surface.

In a study published in August of 2017, a group of scientists from the United Kingdom found that the number of phytoplankton in the North sea has declined since the late 1980-ies. The reasons are not entirely clear, but, apparently, they are associated with a decrease in nutrients due to runoff from smaller European farms and cities, increasing sea temperatures and changing light levels.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»