The Resplandy Research Group

Phytoplankton bloom near Alaska’s Pribilof Islands

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen and Norman Kuring, using Landsat 8 data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Instrument(s): Landsat 8 - OLI

Phytoplankton bloom near Alaska’s Pribilof Islands on September 22, 2014. The Pribilofs are surrounded by nutrient-rich waters in the Bering Sea. The milky green and light blue shading of the water indicates the presence of vast populations of microscopic phytoplankton—mostly coccolithophores, which have chalky calcite scales. Such phytoplankton form the foundation of a tremendously productive habitat for fish and birds. Caption by Kasha Patel and Mike Carlowicz.
Satellite chorophyll offshore New Zealand (source: NASA Aqua MODIS)

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Instrument(s): Aqua – MODIS acquired October 25, 2009

Satellite chorophyll offshore New Zealand (source: NASA Aqua MODIS).
Satellite surface chlorophyll spiraling around eddies in the Gulf of Alaska

NASA image by Norman Kuring, NASA’s Ocean Color web. Instrument(s): Suomi NPP – VIIRS acquired June 9, 2016

Satellite surface chlorophyll spiraling around eddies in the Gulf of Alaska. Phytoplankton blooms in response to the iron supply by melt water along the coast and transport offshore by eddies. Source: NASA Suomi NPP-VIIRS acquired on June 9th 2016.
Satellite chorophyll in the Indian Ocean (source: NASA Aqua MODIS)

NASA image, NASA Earth Observatory. Instrument(s): Aqua – MODIS

Satellite chorophyll in the Indian Ocean (source: NASA Aqua MODIS). Eddies and filaments promotes the growth of phytoplankton during the winter monsoon by supplying nutrients and relieving light limitation (Resplandy et al., 2009).

Professor Laure Resplandy is a biogeochemical oceanographer. Her research goals are to understand how climate and ocean physics influence marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems and how these changes can in turn impact the Earth climate. Prof. Resplandy's approach is to design and develop numerical models (from ocean regions to global climate system) and statistical tools to interpret in-situ and satellite observations.