&philcUK

gallery

The icy shoreline provides a vivid contrast to the turquoise swirls in the black waters of the Gulf of Alaska. This burst of colour is caused by glacial sediment and dense blooms of phytoplankton. These concentrations of the plants can colour large swaths of ocean water, and can be clearly seen in this shot from NASA’s Aqua satellite.

Image Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team.