An underwater bloom has turned part of the Black Sea a brilliant turquoise that can be seen from space

pulse

June 15, 2017 5:52 PM

Microscopic phytoplankton make their own food from sunlight and dissolved nutrients in the water. At certain times, their populations explode.

NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the data for this image of an ongoing phytoplankton bloom in the Black Sea on May 29, 2017.

Parts of the Black Sea and Bosphorus Strait have turned a swirling, brilliant turquoise.

According to NASA, which captured an aerial image of the phenomenon with its Aqua satellite on May 29, the cause is an ongoing bloom of phytoplankton.

The microscopic creatures make their own food from sunlight and dissolved nutrients in the water. At certain times, their populations explode in number, creating a bloom that can transform the water.

The current bloom in the Bosphorus (the waterway that runs through Istanbul, separating Europe and Asia) is a particularly bright one, according to Norman Kuring, an ocean scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. However, it is consistent with activity normally seen in May and June.

Take a look.

When Istanbul residents noticed the bloom, some were concerned that pollution or an earthquake caused the transformation, according to reports.

Source:

Normally, the waters of the Bosphorus are a deep blue.

But NASA explains that the change in color is caused by a population of phytoplankton that are covered in white calcium carbonate plates.

The plates, shown in this electron micrograph, coat the organisms' exteriors and reflect light when the creatures gather in large numbers.

That's why massive quantities of the microscopic creatures can change the water's color. They're even bright enough to be seen from space.

Though many marine organisms feed off phytoplankton, large blooms can suck oxygen out of water and suffocate sea life.

But environmental science professor Ahmet Cemal Saydam told the local Dogan news agency that this species (Emiliania huxleyi) is a blessing for the Black Sea, since it can feed marine life — especially anchovies.

Source:

The swirls and eye-catching colors are normal for the region and are probably at their peak sometime this month, according to NASA.

Other types of blooms can darken the Black Sea, obscuring its depths. But for now, the waters are bright, Caribbean blue.

pulse