The spring bloom off the coast of Alaska

What happens if you mix flour with water? If this "glacial flour" in the Gulf of Alaska is a wonderful, nutrient-rich sediment, you get a massive phytoplankton bloom.

About the middle of April the sediment, or "rock flour", was crushed into a fine dust by the glaciers and colored the waters of Alaska in matte turquoise color, contributing to the growth of phytoplankton. MODIS on the NASA satellite "Aqua" captures green vortices from space.

Tiny similar to plant organisms need for iron, which falls into the Bay with the water currents and wind. Strong winds raise dust, rich in iron, dry lakes and river basin off the coast of Alaska, and sometimes from clubs volcanic ash in the atmosphere. Glaciers also release iron-rich sediments, when they melt and the water carries them to the sea. Ocean currents carry the iron away from the shore, where it is combined with nitrates and creates fertile conditions for the phytoplankton bloom.

"Usually, the flowering starts in the coastal area, and then spread to the deeper layers of the water when there is separation," says Scott Pegg, a researcher from the Research center of the Prince William sound.

More dense, cold and salty water sinks to the bottom of the ocean, while warmer, less dense, and the salt remains at the top.

Some ground-based observations show that the spring bloom this year started a little earlier.

"With all the nutrients that were mixed during winter, the phytoplankton has everything to grow and flourish, explains Peg. — There are a couple of unusual features. Mainly, the high level of chlorophyll in the South-East, which is quite far from the shelf break".

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»