MODIS Sea Surface Temperature Highlighting the Gulf Stream (2002 to 2006)

  • Released Tuesday, December 5, 2006
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A recent study indicates a correlation between ocean nutrients and changes sea surface temperature (SST). The results show that when SSTs warm, marine plant life in the form of microscopic phytoplankton declines. Similarly, when SSTs cool, marine plant life seems to flourish. Changes in phytoplankton growth influence fishery yields and the amount of carbon dioxide the oceans remove from the atmosphere. This could have major implications on the future of our ocean's food web and how it relates to climate change.

The temperature data in this visualization comes from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua spacecraft.

This animation shows a 32-day moving average of SST data spanning July 4, 2002 to October 23, 2006. The animation starts over Europe, pans across the Atlantic, and settles in over the Gulf Stream.

Sea Surface Temperature in Degrees Celsius.

Sea Surface Temperature in Degrees Celsius.

The Gulf Stream reflected in SST data. This data is an average from September 22, 2006 to October 23, 2006.

The Gulf Stream reflected in SST data. This data is an average from September 22, 2006 to October 23, 2006.

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/warm_marine.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Tuesday, December 5, 2006.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM EDT.

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Papers used in this visualization

'Climate-Driven Trends in Contemporary Ocean Productivity', Nature, Dec. 7

Datasets used in this visualization

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