23. Baja California, Coastal Phytoplankton Abundance

TThis satellite image from 1979 includes the region illustrated in slide #22 and illustrates the contrasts between natural color photography from space and false color satellite imagery. The shades of burgundy and dark blue represent the low concentration of phytoplankton in warm water traveling off the coast in the current from the north, while the orange and red shades reflect the high levels of biological activity in the colder, upwelled waters on the continental shelf. Notice the land/sea interaction where eddies of colder water are spiralling along the western coast of Baja California.

Nimbus 7, May 12, 1979. #Coastal Zone Color Scanner Bands 1:2:3

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