New York, NY — Satellite images captured by NASA are showing an unusual stretch of bright blue and blue-green water spreading along the Atlantic coast from New York to Maryland, with scientists linking the dramatic color shift to massive spring phytoplankton blooms developing offshore.
The vivid waters began appearing in early April near the Mid-Atlantic Bight, a heavily studied coastal zone where the Atlantic Ocean mixes with outflows from Raritan Bay, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay. Researchers say the striking colors likely stem from a combination of microscopic marine organisms, river runoff, suspended sediment, and nutrient-rich ocean conditions triggered by seasonal changes.
NASA scientists say newer satellite technology is now allowing researchers to detect and identify these blooms in far greater detail than before.
NASA Satellites Capture Rare Coastal Color Shift
The changing ocean colors were detected by multiple NASA satellites, including PACE, Aqua, and Terra, according to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientists monitoring the images observed large patches of green, turquoise, and chalky blue water lingering along shallow coastal zones off New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia…