Earthtopomaps – Patagonian Plankton Swirls, Phytoplankton

Earthtopomaps – Patagonian Plankton Swirls, Phytoplankton

What are Phytoplankton?

Derived from the Greek words phyto (plant) and plankton (made to wander or drift), phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that live in watery environments, both salty and fresh.

Earthtopomaps – Patagonian Plankton Swirls, Phytoplankton

Some phytoplankton are bacteria, some are protists, and most are single-celled plants. Among the common kinds are cyanobacteria, silica-encased diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae, and chalk-coated coccolithophores.

Earthtopomaps - Patagonian Plankton Swirls

Phytoplankton are extremely diverse, varying from photosynthesizing bacteria (cyanobacteria), to plant-like diatoms, to armor-plated coccolithophores (drawings not to scale). (Collage adapted from drawings and micrographs by Sally Bensusen, NASA EOS Project Science Office.)

Earthtopomaps – Patagonian Plankton Swirls, Phytoplankton

Like land plants, phytoplankton have chlorophyll to capture sunlight, and they use photosynthesis to turn it into chemical energy. They consume carbon dioxide, and release oxygen. All phytoplankton photosynthesize, but some get additional energy by consuming other organisms.

Earthtopomaps - Patagonian Plankton Swirls Phytoplankton create rich blooms of color in the Atlantic Ocean near South America

Phytoplankton growth depends on the availability of carbon dioxide, sunlight, and nutrients. Phytoplankton, like land plants, require nutrients such as nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and calcium at various levels depending on the species. Some phytoplankton can fix nitrogen and can grow in areas where nitrate concentrations are low. They also require trace amounts of iron which limits phytoplankton growth in large areas of the ocean because iron concentrations are very low. Other factors influence phytoplankton growth rates, including water temperature and salinity, water depth, wind, and what kinds of predators are grazing on them.

See also:

Dive into World Oceans Day with Google Earth and Maps

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Revised September 16, 2023

Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping – Earth

) Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

Editors Note: Today’s guest author is Katie Reytar. A Research Associate for the World Resources Institute. WRI was the recipient of Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant. Funded through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund at the Tides Foundation. We’re excited to help them share. And visualize the results of years of research about the state of the world’s reefs. Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

Watch a virtual tour of the most at risk reefs in the world courtesy of the World Resources Institute.

Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

  • In the tour. The Reefs at Risk Revisited maps come alive on Google Earth. With photos. And underwater video from each of the major coral reef regions of the world: the CaribbeanMiddle EastIndian OceanSoutheast AsiaAustralia. and Pacific. as well as a global level introduction. And conclusion. The journey to each region provides a brief overview of the biodiversity of reef ecosystems. their importance to people. And local economies. And the types and magnitudes of threats that reefs face. Illustrated with footage of both healthy and damaged reefs.
  • You’ll also experience first hand these fantastically dynamic. And productive ecosystems that extend across about 250,000 sq km. (96,500 sq miles)
  • Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping

of the tropical ocean. Even though this area represents less than 0.1% of the global ocean. Reefs are home to as many as 25% of all known marine species. In the tropics. Coral reefs are not only a critical habitat for marine species. But they also play an essential role in the lives of millions of people who live near them: they provide food. And income from fisheries. Revenue from tourism. And protection for coastal communities from storm surges.

) Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping

Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

Among the other products of the Reefs at Risk Revisited project are global maps of coral reefs rated according to level of threat in the present. 2030. And 2050.

Download Free KML and KMZ for Google Earth Pro

A)Local & Global Threats in 2050 (3.1 Mb)

B)Local & Global Threats in 2030 (3.1 Mb)

C)Local Threats: Present (3.1 Mb)

Or these maps are available as downloadable KML files on the WRI website for viewing on Google Earth. And also as part of an online map developed using Google Fusion Tables. With these interactive maps you can zoom in to your favorite reef to explore it more closely in your own self guided tour. Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping.

Explore Reefs at Risk Revisited in Google Earth.

Explore Reefs at Risk Revisited in Google Earth.
We hope that you enjoy our tour. And maps. And that you are able to visit a coral reef to learn more about these important and unique ecosystems. With improved understanding. We can manage and protect these resources so that we can all enjoy them. And benefit from them for generations to come.

Posted by Katie Reytar. Research Associate at the World Resources Institute.

Protecting the world s coral reefs through mapping

Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef

See also:

Mapping global fishing activity with machine learning

And benefit from them for generations to come.

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Revised September 19, 2023

Dive into World Oceans Day with Google Earth and Maps – Earth

) Dive into World Oceans Day with Google Earth and Maps – Earth

This World Oceans Day, explore our oceans and learn from experts leading marine conservation efforts around the world with Street View and Google Earth.

We hope these stories and sights will inspire you to get involved and help protect our vast. And fragile oceans. So jump on in, the water’s fine!Start your underwater adventure in Voyager. With the Ocean Agency, tour Raja Ampat, Indonesia’s rich marine center containing 76 percent of the world’s coral species and 36 percent of the world’s reef fish species more than any other marine region in the world. Then head to the Gulf of California with Dr. Sylvia Earle to see leaping mobula rays and learn about efforts to combat shark finning. Finally. Head south to swim alongside the playful sea lions of the Galápagos Islands, one of the most biodiverse and unique places on the planet.

) Dive into World Oceans Day with Google Earth and Maps

Dive into World Oceans Day 2023 to 2040

Once you’ve gotten your sea legs in Voyager.

Sail on over to Street View for even more beautiful blues. Go tete-a-tete with turtles in the Great Barrier Reef off Heron Island. Australia. Snorkel through colorful coral in DA Bai Shah. Taiwan. And enroll yourself in a school of fish in Bali.

We hope these stories. And sights will inspire you to get involved and help protect our vast and fragile oceans. So jump on in. The water’s fine!

Photo credit for header image of Raja Ampat: Jayne Jenkins

Dive into World Oceans Day with Google Earth and Maps

See also:

New views of beauty and fragility in underwater street view

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