Nifty phytoplankton bloom image

An awesome image of a huge plankton bloom in the Barents Sea, courtesy of the MODIS from the Aqua Satellite, taken on Aug 14.  The Barents is at its freshest and most nutrient depleted during this time, due to glacial melt, which creates ideal conditions for a big ol' bloom of these tiny little organisms.  Apparently, the milky blue colors are inferred to be the result of a bunch of coccolithophores, tiny photosynthetic bugs that make a produce calcite tests.  Just think; if you were in orbit during the Cretaceous over the eastern end of the Western Interior Seaway (say, Kansas or Nebraska), you might have seen just such an scene!  And check out those Helmholtz whirls where the plume is mixing with the ambient water!  Rad!

 The image, and more information about it, can be found at NASA's Earth Observatory page.