Turquoise Currents

As New Zealand’s summer draws to an end, blooms of tiny ocean plants swirl in turquoise and green along the shores of the South Island. NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on February 1 showing the large phytoplankton blooms. These blooms are of enormous interest to scientists. From a ship on the water, a scientist would be able to sample the bloom to find out just what type of plankton are growing and how the bloom affects the region’s biology.