Large algal bloom turns sea turquoise

A LARGE algal bloom to the southeast of Shetland has been captured from space turning the North Sea green.

NASA’s Earth Observatory has just published this spectacular photo with Fair Isle just visible at the top left corner, captured on 13 June.

The bloom of phytoplankton spans an area 100 miles wide.

NASA said the green colour of the bloom indicates the presence of diatoms – a type of phytoplankton with silica shells and plenty of chlorophyll.

The bloom likely contains coccolithophores as well, notably Gephrocapsa Huxleyi, which is armoured with plates of highly reflective calcium carbonate.

NASA said such blooms do commonly occur in the northern North Sea, but on rarer occasions they can turn up in Scottish coastal waters.