S65-51654 (29 Aug. 1965) --- Long range view of astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. being hoisted up to a Navy helicopter during recovery operations in the Atlantic Ocean of the Gemini-5 spacecraft.

S65-46646 (29 Aug. 1965) --- Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. is hoisted up to a Navy helicopter during recovery operations in the Atlantic Ocean of the Gemini-5 spacecraft. The NASA Headquarter alternative photo number is 65-H-688.

S66-42794 (21 July 1966) --- Navy frogmen prepare to attach a flotation collar to the Gemini-10 spacecraft as it bobs in the Atlantic Ocean following its successful splashdown. Inside the spacecraft are astronauts John W. Young, command pilot, and Michael Collins, pilot, waiting to egress the spacecraft for recovery by helicopter from the prime recovery ship, USS Guadalcanal. Photo credit: NASA

S66-34110 (6 June 1966) --- Astronauts Thomas Stafford (right) and Eugene Cernan wave to those aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp as the recovery ship approaches. U.S. Navy frogmen assist in the recovery operations. Gemini-9A splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean only 3.5 miles from the USS Wasp. Gemini-9 splashed down 345 miles east of Cape Kennedy at 9 a.m. (EST), June 6, 1966. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. enters his Mercury capsule, "Friendship 7," as he prepares for launch of the Mercury-Atlas rocket. On February 20, 1962, Glenn lifted off into space aboard his Mercury Atlas 6 MA-6 rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After orbiting the Earth 3 times, Friendship 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds later, just East of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. Glenn and his capsule were recovered by the Navy Destroyer Noa, 21 minutes after splashdown. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In a training exercise, known as Mode VIII, off Florida's central east coast, an HH-60G helicopter rescues a participant from the Atlantic Ocean. In support of, and with logistical support from, NASA, USSTRATCOM is hosting a major exercise involving Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, search and rescue (SAR) forces, including the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, which support space shuttle astronaut bailout contingency operations, known as Mode VIII. This exercise tests SAR capabilities to locate, recover and provide medical treatment for astronauts following a space shuttle launch phase open-ocean bailout. Participants include members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In a U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat off Florida's central east coast, participants in a rescue training exercise, known as Mode VIII, are ready to be launched into the Atlantic Ocean. In support of, and with logistical support from, NASA, USSTRATCOM is hosting a major exercise involving Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, search and rescue (SAR) forces, including the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, which support space shuttle astronaut bailout contingency operations, known as Mode VIII. This exercise tests SAR capabilities to locate, recover and provide medical treatment for astronauts following a space shuttle launch phase open-ocean bailout. Participants include members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Apollo 7 commander, egresses the spacecraft during recovery operations in the Atlantic. He is assisted by a member of the U.S. Navy frogman team. The Apollo 7 spacecraft splashed down at 7:11 a.m., October 22, 1968, approximately 200 nautical miles south-southwest of Bermuda.

U.S. Navy frogmen attach a flotation collar to the Apollo 7 command module during recovery operations in the Atlantic. The Apollo 7 spacecraft splashed down at 7:11 a.m., October 22, 1968, approximately 200 nautical miles south-southwest of Bermuda.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An Orion flight test capsule makes a splash into the Atlantic Ocean as it slides from the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship into the water. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Liberty Star ship heads into the Atlantic Ocean where tests will be performed on an Orion flight test capsule. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers, on the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship and in a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, prepare to begin testing of an Orion flight test capsule. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers on the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship prepare for testing in the Atlantic Ocean of an Orion flight test capsule to begin. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers on the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship prepare for testing in the Atlantic Ocean of an Orion flight test capsule to begin. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site, Center Director Jim Kennedy (second from right) learns from Testbed Manager Louis MacDowell (right) about a project being undertaken for the U.S. Navy. Being studied are nonchrome primers for aircraft. At left are Lead Scientist Dr. Luz Marina Calle and Dr. Paul Hintze, who is working on a graduate project for the National Research Council. The KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site was established in the 1960s and has provided more than 30 years of historical information on the long-term performance of many materials in use at KSC and other locations around the world. Located 100 feet from the Atlantic Ocean approximately 1 mile south of the Space Shuttle launch sites, the test facility includes an atmospheric exposure site, a flowing seawater exposure site, and an on-site electrochemistry laboratory and monitoring station. The beach laboratory is used to conduct real-time corrosion experiments and provides for the remote monitoring of surrounding weather conditions. The newly added flowing seawater immersion facility provides for the immersion testing of materials and devices under controlled conditions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site, Testbed Manager Louis MacDowell (foreground) explains to Center Director Jim Kennedy (third from right) about a study being undertaken for the U.S. Navy: nonchrome primers for aircraft. At left is Lead Scientist Dr. Luz Marina Calle and behind MacDowell is Dr. Paul Hintze, who is working on a graduate project for the National Research Council. The KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site was established in the 1960s and has provided more than 30 years of historical information on the long-term performance of many materials in use at KSC and other locations around the world. Located 100 feet from the Atlantic Ocean approximately 1 mile south of the Space Shuttle launch sites, the test facility includes an atmospheric exposure site, a flowing seawater exposure site, and an on-site electrochemistry laboratory and monitoring station. The beach laboratory is used to conduct real-time corrosion experiments and provides for the remote monitoring of surrounding weather conditions. The newly added flowing seawater immersion facility provides for the immersion testing of materials and devices under controlled conditions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site, Louis MacDowell (right), Testbed manager, explains to Center Director Jim Kennedy a project being undertaken for the U.S. Navy. At left are nonchrome primers for aircraft being studied. Behind Kennedy is Lead Scientist Dr. Luz Marina Calle. Behind MacDowell is Dr. Paul Hintze, who is working on a graduate project for the National Research Council. The KSC Beach Corrosion Test Site was established in the 1960s and has provided more than 30 years of historical information on the long-term performance of many materials in use at KSC and other locations around the world. Located 100 feet from the Atlantic Ocean approximately 1 mile south of the Space Shuttle launch sites, the test facility includes an atmospheric exposure site, a flowing seawater exposure site, and an on-site electrochemistry laboratory and monitoring station. The beach laboratory is used to conduct real-time corrosion experiments and provides for the remote monitoring of surrounding weather conditions. The newly added flowing seawater immersion facility provides for the immersion testing of materials and devices under controlled conditions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Liberty Star ship, with an Orion flight test capsule secured to its deck, passes through the mouth of Port Canaveral in Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Star has been enlisted to support the Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) which began at-sea operations Nov. 29. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Liberty Star ship, with an Orion flight test capsule secured to its deck, passes through the mouth of Port Canaveral in Florida on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Star has been enlisted to support the Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) which began at-sea operations Nov. 29. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An Orion flight test capsule aboard the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship is moments away from being pulled overboard into the Atlantic Ocean. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Port Canaveral in Florida, NASA's Liberty Star ship, with an Orion flight test capsule secured to its deck, passes the jetties as it heads toward the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Star has been enlisted to support the Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) which began at-sea operations Nov. 29. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Port Canaveral in Florida, NASA's Liberty Star ship, with an Orion flight test capsule secured to its deck, heads out of port toward the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Star has been enlisted to support the Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) which began at-sea operations Nov. 29. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – From a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, workers secure lines to an Orion flight test capsule during preparations for testing the capsule as their colleagues look on from the deck of NASA's Liberty Star ship. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Testing is under way on an Orion flight test capsule in the Atlantic Ocean. The tests are being monitored by workers aboard NASA's Liberty Star ship. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Testing is under way on an Orion flight test capsule in the Atlantic Ocean. The tests are being monitored by workers aboard NASA's Liberty Star ship. The Crew Module Recovery Attach Fitting Test (CRAFT) on the capsule, which began at-sea operations Nov. 29, is under way. Multiple attach clips are being evaluated against the current recovery cleat configuration by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) and a U.S. Navy diver. The 21st Century Ground Systems Program will use data collected from the tests to help develop ground operations support equipment that could be used to recover an uncrewed Orion flight test capsule after splashdown. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is NASA's next-generation spacecraft being developed for deep space missions to asteroids, moons and other interplanetary destinations throughout the solar system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

NASA image acquired August 31, 2010 To see the full view of this image go to: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4970549945">www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4970549945</a> In this natural-color image from August 31, 2010, the ocean’s canvas swirls with turquoise, teal, navy, and green, the abstract art of the natural world. The colors were painted by a massive phytoplankton bloom made up of millions of tiny, light-reflecting organisms growing in the sunlit surface waters of the Barents Sea. Such blooms peak every August in the Barents Sea. The variations in color are caused by different species and concentrations of phytoplankton. The bright blue colors are probably from coccolithophores, a type of phytoplankton that is coated in a chalky shell that reflects light, turning the ocean a milky turquoise. Coccolithophores dominate the Barents Sea in August. Shades of green are likely from diatoms, another type of phytoplankton. Diatoms usually dominate the Barents Sea earlier in the year, giving way to coccolithophores in the late summer. However, field measurements of previous August blooms have also turned up high concentrations of diatoms. The Barents Sea is a shallow sea sandwiched between the coastline of northern Russia and Scandinavia and the islands of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaya Zemlya. Within the shallow basin, currents carrying warm, salty water from the Atlantic collide with currents carrying cold, fresher water from the Arctic. During the winter, strong winds drive the currents and mix the waters. When winter’s sea ice retreats and light returns in the spring, diatoms thrive, typically peaking in a large bloom in late May. The shift between diatoms and coccolithophores occurs as the Barents Sea changes during the summer months. Throughout summer, perpetual light falls on the waters, gradually warming the surface. Eventually, the ocean stratifies into layers, with warm water sitting on top of cooler water. The diatoms deplete most of the nutrients in the surface waters and stop growing. Coccolithophores, on the other hand, do well in warm, nutrient-depleted water with a lot of light. In the Barents Sea, these conditions are strongest in August. The shifting conditions and corresponding change in species lead to strikingly beautiful multicolored blooms such as this one. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image. NASA image courtesy Norman Kuring, NASA Ocean Color Group. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: Aqua - MODIS Click here to see more images from <b><a href="#//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Goddard’s Earth Observatory</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>

NASA image acquired August 31, 2010 To see a detail of this image go to: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4971318856/">www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4971318856/</a> In this natural-color image from August 31, 2010, the ocean’s canvas swirls with turquoise, teal, navy, and green, the abstract art of the natural world. The colors were painted by a massive phytoplankton bloom made up of millions of tiny, light-reflecting organisms growing in the sunlit surface waters of the Barents Sea. Such blooms peak every August in the Barents Sea. The variations in color are caused by different species and concentrations of phytoplankton. The bright blue colors are probably from coccolithophores, a type of phytoplankton that is coated in a chalky shell that reflects light, turning the ocean a milky turquoise. Coccolithophores dominate the Barents Sea in August. Shades of green are likely from diatoms, another type of phytoplankton. Diatoms usually dominate the Barents Sea earlier in the year, giving way to coccolithophores in the late summer. However, field measurements of previous August blooms have also turned up high concentrations of diatoms. The Barents Sea is a shallow sea sandwiched between the coastline of northern Russia and Scandinavia and the islands of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaya Zemlya. Within the shallow basin, currents carrying warm, salty water from the Atlantic collide with currents carrying cold, fresher water from the Arctic. During the winter, strong winds drive the currents and mix the waters. When winter’s sea ice retreats and light returns in the spring, diatoms thrive, typically peaking in a large bloom in late May. The shift between diatoms and coccolithophores occurs as the Barents Sea changes during the summer months. Throughout summer, perpetual light falls on the waters, gradually warming the surface. Eventually, the ocean stratifies into layers, with warm water sitting on top of cooler water. The diatoms deplete most of the nutrients in the surface waters and stop growing. Coccolithophores, on the other hand, do well in warm, nutrient-depleted water with a lot of light. In the Barents Sea, these conditions are strongest in August. The shifting conditions and corresponding change in species lead to strikingly beautiful multicolored blooms such as this one. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image. NASA image courtesy Norman Kuring, NASA Ocean Color Group. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: Aqua - MODIS Click here to see more images from <b><a href="#//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Goddard’s Earth Observatory</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>

Phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea captured August 14, 2011. At times nature exceeds the ability of the artist’s brush to blend brilliant colors, interweave textures and combine patterns to create stunning panoramas, while using only the palette of land, water, cloud and vegetation. This stunning and artistic image of a phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea was by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite was captured on August 14, 2011. The peacock-hued swirls of blues and green that paint the navy-blue sea water are created by light reflecting off of millions of phytoplankton, microscopic plants that grow in the sunlit surface water of the world’s oceans. Different types of phytoplankton reflect different colored light, so a multi-color bloom such as this typically contains multiple species. The depth of the bloom also affects coloration – the deeper the organism, the less light is reflected and the duller the color. Coccolithophores, a type of phytoplankton which flourish in nutrient-poor, sub-polar waters, have unique limestone (calcite) scales. This white coating makes the plant highly reflective, and thus a bloom can appear to be a bright, almost iridescent blue. The chalky coating can also cause whitish swirls in the water, making the blues washed out with a milky hue. August is a highly active month for phytoplankton blooms in the Barents Sea, but the timing, development, abundance and species composition is variable in this area. The distribution of phytoplankton is largely controlled by the polar front, ice cover, freshwater runoff and ice melting. Each water source – the Artic, the Atlantic and the coastal water – all bring their own characteristic species into the Barents Sea, creating a multi-specie and multi-color spectacle. Because phytoplankton are the base of the marine food chain, places were blooms are large and frequent often support a thriving marine population. This is certainly the case in the Barents Sea where the fisheries, particularly the cod fisheries, are of great importance for both Norway and Russia. The coastlines of both of these countries can be seen in the bottom of the image. Russia forms the south-eastern most coast, while the remaining three-quarters of the coastline belongs to Norway. Two fjords in the west, Porsangerfjorden and Laksefjord are tinted bright blue with phytoplankton. Just to the east of these fjords, freshwater from the Tana River flows through Tanafjord, turning the waters here are a duller blue. As fresh water flows into the Barents Sea, phytoplankton bloom is affected by the flowing water, creating paisley-like patterns in the coastal eddies. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>