MODIS - Terra

The Gulf of Carpentaria is awash in sediment to the west of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. Farther away from the coast, blue-green swirls suggest the presence of phytoplankton. Off the eastern coast of the peninsula, a bright blue-green string of coral reefs makes up the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea.

In the deep inlet made by Spencer Gulf, bright blues and greens indicate the growth of phytoplankton. Australia gets less rainfall than any continent except Antarctica, and the low and seasonal flows contribute to problems with salinity and algal blooms in the continent's surface waters.

The coastal waters surrounding the South Island are bright with what is probably a mixture of sediment from rivers, phytoplankton, and possible suspended organic matter.

Phytoplankton bloom off of the Tasmanian coast in the Tasman Sea. The phytoplankton appear to be caught in a whirlpool, which causes them to swirl in a clockwise pattern.