Phytoplankton Bloom Flourishing in Barents Sea
70.4N 48.0E
Russia – August 6th, 2012
A phytoplankton bloom flourishes in the Barents Sea, tinging it bright hues of green and turquoise (click here for previous images). Visible at the top right is Yuzhny, the southern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, lying north of Russia.
Phytoplankton blooms are common in the Barents Sea in August, although their timing and development, as well as the different phytoplankton species of which they are composed, vary greatly, due to factors such as the polar front, ice cover, freshwater runoff and ice melting.
