Algal bloom off the Argentinian coast. Satellite image of an algal bloom in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Patagonia, Argentina. Algal blooms are formed by the rapid multiplying of phytoplankton, microscopic marine plants that drift on or near the surface of the sea, sustained by sunlight. This area of ocean is known as the Patagonian Shelf Break, where warmer, saltier waters from the subtropics meet colder, fresher waters flowing up from the south. The resulting turbulence on the edge of the continental shelf mix the waters and pull nutrients up from the deep ocean. Image data obtained on 2 December 2014, by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite |