Bloom of phytoplankton

2003/09/30 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Biologia

In the image depicting the NASA satellite you can see, in light blue, the bloom of the phytoplankton that occurred last spring in the Atlantic Ocean, from the Portuguese coast to the left. Attention and do not confuse! These gray spots are mists.

The sudden growth of phytoplankton population occurs every year, are cyclical and without them there would be no life in the sea or lakes. The phenomenon is known as bloom in English; if we translate directly, the flowering in Basque.

The most spectacular growth occurs in spring. In fact, in spring, when the water temperature begins to warm, the upper and lower water layers are mixed. As a consequence, water is enriched with minerals and the appropriate conditions are created for the growth of algae. Algae are used to grow and multiply constantly.