14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at NASA have recently released this new image of the southern Atlantic Ocean, centered on the massive phytoplankton blooms currently in full swing off the coasts of Argentina. The photo was captured by an American satellite in Earth's orbit.
The NASA Terra spacecraft captured this natural-color image of the blooms via its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. This camera has been used for similar applications in the past, and can produce impressively-detailed images of Earth's landmasses and oceans.
Phytoplankton are an essential link in the ocean food chain. In addition to providing a food source for more complex marine lifeforms, these microscopic creatures also play a very important role in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and taking it to the ocean floor once they die.
In this MODIS target area, phytoplankton blooms feed one of the world's most prolific fishing spots, where shortfin squid, hake, anchovies, whiting, and sardines can be found in abundance. The region is known as the Patagonian shelf-break front.