February 15, 2023 - Sediment and Phytoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico

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In January and early February 2023, a series of storms brought
torrential rain and threats of tornadoes across Louisiana. When the
skies cleared on February 13, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a
true-color image of patches of tan and swirls of jewel-toned water in
the Gulf of Mexico.

The largest patches of muddy-tan are caused by sediment pouring into
the Gulf from the Mississippi River (east) and the Atchafalaya River
(near the image center), no doubt runoff caused by the recent storms.
Sediment appears tan when it floats near the surface, but as it sinks
it looks green and then blue. This color shift is obvious near the
large sediment plumes. Darker tan sediment can also be seen floating
Lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne which sit north of the
Mississippi Delta.

Swirls of bright color can be seen in the dark Gulf waters west of the
Atchafalaya plume and dull jewel-tones tint the water under broken
layers of cloud in the south. While sediment may lend a little color
here, phytoplankton are almost certainly playing a leading role in the
jewel-toned appearance. Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like
organisms (algae) that live in these waters year-round in relatively
small numbers. With adequate sunlight, nutrients, and warm water
temperature, phytoplankton can reproduce explosively to create large
and colorful blooms. Sediment-laden runoff carries an infusion of
nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico, encouraging phytoplankton growth.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/13/2023
Resolutions: 1km (332.1 KB), 500m (891.2 KB), 250m (1.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-02-15

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