Ocean color satellites travel around the Earth at an altitude of about 700 to 800 km.
Villefranche-sur-Mer in stormy weather, winter 2011 - Photo : J.-M. Grisoni
Diatoms - Life in glass houses
Champions of photosynthesis, these unicellular organisms appeared at the time of dinosaurs.They produce a quarter of the oxygen we breathe.
Illustration in synthesized images of the seasons of the ocean: a year from the Antarctic - Animation Clement Fontana
Ctenaria Eucharis multicornis (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Ptéropodes - Mollusques qui nagent
Les papillons des mers construisent de fragiles coquilles. Résisteront-elles à l’acidification des océans?
Sea Urchin - Planktonic Origins
Barely visible to the naked eye, sea urchin larvae grow and transform into bottom-dwelling urchins.
Dinoflagellate Ceratium praelongum (Photo : Sophie Marro)
Underwater glider (Photo : David Luquet)
Phytoplankton bloom observed in the Barents Sea (North of Norway) in August 2010 by the ocean color sensor MODIS onboard NASA satellite Aqua. Changes in ocean color result from modifications in the phytoplankton composition and concentration. The green colors are likely associated with the presence of diatoms. The shades of light blue result from the occurrence of coccolithophores, phytoplankton organisms that strongly reflect light due to their chalky shells - Source : NASA's Earth Observatory (http:/earthobservatory.nasa.gov)
Instrumented buoy (Photo : David Luquet)
Les Dinoflagellés - Ceratium hexacanthum
chaîne de Ceratium hexacanthum qui restent les uns à la suites des autres au fur et à mesure des divisions.
Le mouvement des flagelles est bien visible.
Siphonophores Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Colony of dinoflagellates Ceratium hexacanthum. In the video, one can observe the movement of the flagella. (Video : Sophie Marro)
Siphonophore Forskalia formosa (Photo : Fabien Lombard)
Remote-controlled sailboat
Drifting profiling floats in the Atlantic
Dinoflagellate Ceratium extensum (Photo : Sophie Marro)