Phytoplankton Archives

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures algal bloom swirls in the north Adriatic Sea, along the coast of Italy. Larger image

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Orbital Biosignature Survey: Adriatic Bloom

by Keith CowingSeptember 13, 2024September 13, 2024

Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more.

Polymetallic nodules, also called manganese nodules, on the floor of the Pacific Ocean; surprising new research suggests deep sea rocks are capable of producing oxygen without help from plants or the sun. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Geomar Bilddatenbank/ROV KIEL 6000, GEOMAR

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Oxygen Produced In The Deep Sea Raises Questions About Extraterrestrial Life

by Keith CowingAugust 27, 2024August 27, 2024

Over 12,000 feet below the surface of the sea, in a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), million-year-old rocks cover the seafloor. These rocks may […]

Comparison of the IOP spectra for water (aw, bb,w; black solid and dotted curves) against one example set of non-water spectra (anw, bb,nw; green solid and dotted curves) from L23 (their index=170). The red region indicates where absorption by water dominates (aw > 5anw). In this region, reflectance measurements constrain the non-water component of backscattering. Similarly, the blue region is where water dominates backscattering and retrievals may constrain anw. In turn, for observations with noise, the inversion problem has very limited constraints on the non-water components.-- physics.ao-ph

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Biosignatures: On The Peril of Inferring Phytoplankton Properties From Remote-Sensing Observations

by Keith CowingAugust 15, 2024

Since 1978, sensors on remote-sensing satellites have provided global, multi-band images at optical wavelengths to assess ocean color. In parallel, sophisticated radiative transfer models account for attenuation and emission by […]

The VIIRS on NOAA-21 captured this cloud-free image of a phytoplankton bloom on 9 August 2024. -- NASA

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Orbital Biosignature Survey: A Bright Blue Coccolithophore Bloom In The Barents Sea

by Keith CowingAugust 14, 2024August 14, 2024

When summer arrives at high northern latitudes, peripheral seas to the Arctic Ocean lose some of their ice cover and bask in long daylight hours. That’s when phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms […]

Spatial patterns in cGENIE DIC δ13C excursion size and water mass age in response to −1‰ CIE. (A) Relative size of the δ13C excursion recorded for each model grid relative to the mean δ13C excursion in the ocean layer centered at ~3,300 m water depth. δ13C excursions are calculated as the DIC δ13C value at 11 ky less the initial value in that grid. Red colors (more negative) indicate CIEs larger than the average. (B) Atlantic zonal mean size of the δ13C excursion relative to the atmospheric δ13C excursion. δ13C excursions are calculated as the DIC δ13C value at 11 ky less the initial value. Contours show the Atlantic Meridional Overturning streamfunction at 11 ky calculated using the mask in SI Appendix, Fig. S1 (for comparison to the global streamfunction, see SI Appendix, Fig. S2). (C) Relative size of the change in water mass age recorded for each model grid relative to the mean change in water mass age in the ocean layer centered at ~3,300 m water depth. Changes in water mass age are calculated as the water mass age at 11 ky less the initial age in that grid. Red colors indicate larger increases in water mass age than the global average. -- PNAS

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ancient Ocean Slowdown Warns Of Future Climate Chaos On Earth

by Keith CowingJune 13, 2024June 13, 2024

When it comes to the ocean’s response to global warming, we’re not in entirely uncharted waters. A UC Riverside study shows that episodes of extreme heat in Earth’s past caused […]

Divergence time and Marine silicon concentration for phytoplankton that may contain SITs-like or SITs -like proteins: Decimals near ancestral nodes indicate posterior probabilities. Solid red dots represent fossil calibration points, gray bar represents 95% confidence intervals, and solid black dots represent estimated divergence time by molecular clocks. 95% confidence intervals are shown here for only some nodes, Some solid points are not digitally labeled when their posterior probability is less than 0.5. Different colors in the background represent different geological periods. The diagram shows the representation of each class group. The graph below shows DSI concentrations of different geological ages, modified from Conley et al. (2017) and Siever (1991). -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Silicification of Cyanobacteria

by Keith CowingMay 27, 2024May 27, 2024

The ability to use dissolved silicon has been found in various oceanic phytoplankton, including eukaryotic diatoms and prokaryotic cyanobacteria.

Billows of light greens and blues spanning hundreds of kilometers brightened the waters of the Celtic Sea in spring 2024

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Biosignatures Seen From Space: A Phytoplankton Bloom

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2024May 15, 2024

Editor’s note: future telescopes may be able to resolve exoplanets in images that contain multiple pixels. Algal blooms can be immense and possibly grow to a size wherein a pixel […]

Researchers sampled biological communities and found that intrusions contribute substantially to carbon export. -- Photo by Kara Perilli, WHOI Creative Studio

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Water World Dynamics: Earth’s Ocean Currents Act As An Expressway To Deeper Depths For Microorganisms

by Keith CowingMay 12, 2024May 12, 2024

Editor’s note: as we begin to explore ocean worlds – which may be inhabited – we’ll need to understand how currents and other activities within these seas – seas that […]

Fossil plankton from half a billion years ago. These tiny algae measure much less than a millimetre in size. They evolved their colonial structure to avoid being eaten by early animals. Credit: THP Harvey

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release

Bizarre New Fossils Shed Light On Ancient Plankton

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2023October 25, 2023

A scientist from the University of Leicester has discovered a new type of fossil that reveals life in the oceans half a billion years ago.

This image, acquired on April 8, 2011, with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on NASA’s Terra satellite, shows Saharan dust over the Bay of Biscay. A phytoplankton bloom makes the water appear bright green and blue. Sediment is likely contributing to some of the color, especially in coastal areas. Credits: NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Plant Biology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Desert Dust Nourishes The Growth Of Phytoplankton In Earth’s Oceans

by Keith CowingJuly 10, 2023August 23, 2025

For the past few decades, scientists have been observing natural ocean fertilization events — episodes when plumes of volcanic ash, glacial flour, wildfire soot, and desert dust blow out onto […]

Phytoplankton

Orbital Biosignature Survey: Adriatic Bloom

Oxygen Produced In The Deep Sea Raises Questions About Extraterrestrial Life

Biosignatures: On The Peril of Inferring Phytoplankton Properties From Remote-Sensing Observations

Orbital Biosignature Survey: A Bright Blue Coccolithophore Bloom In The Barents Sea

Ancient Ocean Slowdown Warns Of Future Climate Chaos On Earth

Silicification of Cyanobacteria

Biosignatures Seen From Space: A Phytoplankton Bloom

Water World Dynamics: Earth’s Ocean Currents Act As An Expressway To Deeper Depths For Microorganisms

Bizarre New Fossils Shed Light On Ancient Plankton

How Desert Dust Nourishes The Growth Of Phytoplankton In Earth’s Oceans

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,215 4 September 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

The Metallicity Of Giant Exoplanets Around Low-mass Stars And How Ariel Can Help

Two Extremely Irradiated Volatile-rich Sub-Neptunes With Companions In The TOI-426 And TOI-1839 Systems: Insights Into Arrival And Survival Near The Lower Edge Of The Neptunian Desert

Mapping the WISPIT2 Planet-Hosting Cavity at Sub-Hill-Radius scales

Contrasting C/O Ratios in Uranus and Neptune From Disequilibrium Chemistry: A Clue To Distinct Evolutionary Pathways?