MODIS image from April 18th, 2000. MODIS provides the unprecedented ability to measure chlorophyll fluorescence, which offers an insight into the health of phytoplankton in the ocean. When under stress, phytoplankton no longer photosynthesize and begin to emit absorbed sunlight as fluorescence. In this image taken over the Arabian Sea, there are high concentrations of chlorophyll (red areas), indicating a denser concentration of phytoplankton.
Image courtesy MODIS Ocean Group, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
For more information on, and links to MODIS, click here.
