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Mid-Atlantic Phytoplankton – May 22, 2022

Image: NASA
Image: NASA

These swirling patterns of green off the coast of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland are actually made up of phytoplankton. This photo was taken using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite aboard the NOAA-20 satellite on May 17, 2022 and shared as image of the day on May 22, right in the middle of phytoplankton blooming season. This “spring bloom” typically occurs in the late spring and early summer as more become available for the phytoplankton. According to NASA a similar bloom occurred in this area this time last year.