Blue Phytoplankton Bloom In The Black Sea Lumbar Cushion

July 15, 2012 - Satellite view of swirling blue phytoplankton bloom in the Black Sea. This brilliant cyan pattern scattered across the surface of the Black Sea is a bloom of microscopic phytoplankton. The multitude of single-celled algae in this image are most likely coccolithophores, one of Earth's champions of carbon pumping. Coccolithophores constantly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and slowly send it down to the seafloor, an action that helps to stabilise the Earth's climate. Note that the image is rotated so that north is to the right.