Phytoplankton Bloom Off Argentina

The Atlantic Ocean was awash with color on December 18, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image. The brilliant greens and blues are densely concentrated, microscopic plants growing on the surface of the ocean. Called phytoplankton, the plants thrive in the cool, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of Argentina. Here, the Falkland Current sweeps north from the frigid Southern Ocean to meet the Brazil Current moving south along the South American coast. The zone where the currents meet is long, but varies in size and location. Within this zone, the clashing cold and warm currents stir up ocean waters, and in the turbulence, nutrient-rich deep water rises to the surface. This water provides the "fertilizer" needed to drive plant growth...