Global Ocean Chlorophyll Monitoring (GCM) - Image gallery
All photos: ©ESA
Sea Surface Temperature
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A satellite image of the waters around Spain's Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean Sea showing differences in surface water temperatures and the presence of phytoplankton. Ocean temperature measurements and phytoplankton detections are key parameters to monitor and to understand planetary climate changes and the role of oceans in our biosphere. |
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The image shows Mediterranean sea-surface temperature created using data from the ESA's Medspiration project. The data set will be included in the VRE GCM and consist of daily high-resolution sea-surface temperature maps over the Mediterranean. |
Oil spill
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A satellite image which shows a double-headed oil spill originating from the stricken Prestige tanker, lying 100 km off the Spanish coast in 2002. The acquisition of the satellite image was scheduled for an emergency, for monitoring the ecological disaster provoked over the marine environment due to the harmful oil slick pollutants. In these situations, Sea Surface Temperature measurements giving information about the marine current layers, help predicting the fate of oil spills. |
Plankton bloom
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The satellite image shows a large aquamarine-coloured plankton bloom stretching across the length of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants that drift on or near the surface of the sea. The chlorophyll contained in the tiny marine plants, at certain wavelengths, tints the colour of the surrounding ocean waters. This mechanism provide a means of detecting phytoplankton from space with dedicated 'ocean colour' sensors, onboard on satellites. |
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This image shows a colourful marine phytoplankton bloom over the Baltic Sea. These small organisms form the basis of the ocean's food chain and have an essential role in the global ecosystem: they could help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and are a useful indicator of changes in ocean productivity. |
Vegetation over sea and land
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The image taken over the Mediterranean area, reports Sea Surface Temperature (SST), land vegetation and phytoplankton concentrations. The SST influences the growth of phytoplankton, as well as precipitation patterns across continents, thus indirectly influencing land vegetation as well. This image highlight both the VREs topics: chlorophyll over Ocean and Vegetation over land. |
