Phytoplankton blooms in the Black Sea,satellite image. North is at top. Water is blue,vegetation is green. Ice and cloud cover are white. The Black Sea and its northern sub-section the Sea of Azov (upper right) are inland seas situated in southeastern Europe. They are fed by a network of rivers in a catchment area dominated by agricultural land. The waters draining to the seas have a high sediment load and also contain nutrients from fertilizer. This has led to enrichment of the sea water and a subsequent proliferation of phytoplankton (microscopic algae) in the sea. The algal blooms appear as plumes of discoloured water. An increase in phytoplankton can cause a decrease in dissolved oxygen content,which can make the water inhabitable. Image obtained on 22nd May 2004 by the Aqua satellite | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center |
Bildgröße: | 4800 px × 3600 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |