Baltic_blooms_ESA21514635.tiff
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Summary
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Description Baltic blooms ESA21514635.tiff |
English:
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the green algae blooms swirling around the Baltic Sea.
'Algae bloom' is the term used to describe the rapid multiplying of phytoplankton – microscopic marine plants that drift on or near the surface of the sea. The chlorophyll that phytoplankton use for photosynthesis collectively tints the surrounding ocean waters, providing a way of detecting these tiny organisms from space. In most of the Baltic Sea, there are two annual blooms – the spring bloom and the cyanobacterial (also called blue-green algae) bloom in late summer. The Baltic Sea faces many serious challenges, including toxic pollutants, deep-water oxygen deficiencies, and toxic blooms of cyanobacteria affecting the ecosystem, aquaculture and tourism. Cyanobacteria have qualities similar to algae and thrive on phosphorus in the water. High water temperatures and sunny, calm weather often lead to particularly large blooms that pose problems to the ecosystem. In this image captured on 20 July 2019, the streaks, eddies and whirls of the late summer blooms, mixed by winds and currents, are clearly visible. Without in situ measurements, it is difficult to distinguish the type of algae that covers the sea as many different types of algae grow in these waters. The highest concentrations of algal blooms are said to occur in the Central Baltic and around the island of Gotland, visible to the left in the image. Although algal blooms are a natural and essential part of life in the sea, human activity is also said to increase the number of annual blooms. Agricultural and industrial run-off pours fertilisers into the sea, providing additional nutrients algae need to form large blooms. The bacteria that consume the decaying plants suck oxygen out of the water, creating dead zones where fish cannot survive. Large summer blooms can contain toxic algae that are dangerous for both humans and other animals. Satellite data can track the growth and spread of harmful algae blooms in order to alert and mitigate against damaging impacts for tourism and fishing industries. This image is also featured on the Earth from Space video programme. |
Date | 13 December 2019 (upload date) |
Source | Baltic blooms |
Author | European Space Agency |
Other versions |
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Activity
InfoField
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Observing the Earth |
Mission
InfoField
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Sentinel-2 |
Set
InfoField
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Earth observation image of the week |
System
InfoField
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Copernicus |
Licensing
This image contains data from a satellite in the
Copernicus Programme
, such as
Sentinel-1
,
Sentinel-2
or
Sentinel-3
. Attribution is required when using this image.
Attribution:
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019
Attribution
The use of Copernicus Sentinel Data is regulated under EU law ( Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1159/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 377/2014 ). Relevant excerpts:
Free access shall be given to GMES dedicated data [...] made available through GMES dissemination platforms [...].
Access to GMES dedicated data [...] shall be given for the purpose of the following use in so far as it is lawful:
GMES dedicated data [...] may be used worldwide without limitations in time.
GMES dedicated data and GMES service information are provided to users without any express or implied warranty, including as regards quality and suitability for any purpose. |
Attribution
This media was created by the
European Space Agency
(ESA).
Where expressly so stated , images or videos are covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) licence, ESA being an Intergovernmental Organisation (IGO), as defined by the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The user is allowed under the terms and conditions of the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO license to Reproduce, Distribute and Publicly Perform the ESA images and videos released under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence and the Adaptations thereof, without further explicit permission being necessary, for as long as the user complies with the conditions and restrictions set forth in the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence, these including that:
See
the ESA Creative Commons copyright notice
for complete information, and
this article
for additional details.
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This file is licensed under the
Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO
license.
Attribution:
ESA,
CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
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