These green and blue swirls in the Bering Sea reveal the bottom of the food chain in the ocean. Microscopic organisms called phytoplankton, which are important to fish populations, may be too small to be seen individually, but in vast numbers they are visible from space. The white clouds in the image look like bubbles in an aquarium. ~USGS
Microscopic organisms in the Bering Sea, September 22, 2014. Image credit: USGS / Landsat 8Download this image from USGS (7801 x 8400 px, 18 MB).
Phytoplankton is the base of several aquatic food webs. In a balanced ecosystem, they provide food for a wide range of sea creatures including whales, shrimp, snails, and jellyfish. Credit: USGSView the USGS Earth as Art Galleries: Gallery 1, Gallery 2, Gallery 3, Gallery 4
Landsat 8 images the entire Earth every 16 days in an 8-day offset from Landsat 7. Data collected by the instruments onboard the satellite are available to download at no charge from EarthExplorer, GloVis, or the LandsatLook Viewer within 24 hours of acquisition. ~USGS
Landsat 8 – Earth Observation Satellite. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.