The Turbulent North Atlantic Seen From Space

This March 9, 2016 image was collected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite.
The Gulf Stream waters flow in somewhat parallel layers, slicing across what is otherwise a fairly turbulent western North Atlantic Ocean.

The turbulence — made visible by the pigmented phytoplankton it entrains — extends across the whole North American Basin from Anegada to Bermuda to Cape Cod.

Image Credit: NASA/Ocean Biology Processing Group, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Larger image