An unusual burst of turquoise color spread across portions of the Black Sea in late June 2026, creating a striking scene captured by NASA’s Earth Observatory. The vivid swirls are the result of a seasonal phytoplankton bloom, as microscopic marine organisms flourished under favorable sunlight and nutrient conditions.
Satellite observations show how these blooms evolve through time, revealing intricate currents and circulation patterns that often are invisible from the surface. While phytoplankton form the foundation of the marine food web, large blooms also provide scientists with valuable insight into water quality, nutrient transport and broader ecosystem health.
Earth-observation satellites continue to play an essential role in monitoring coastal environments worldwide, providing researchers with consistent, high-resolution imagery that supports fisheries management, climate research and environmental forecasting.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.
