ISS012-E-5727
| NASA Photo ID | ISS012-E-5727 |
| Focal Length | 180mm |
| Date taken | 2005.10.27 |
| Time taken | 21:19:50 GMT |
1000 x 710 pixels 540 x 383 pixels 540 x 405 pixels 3032 x 2008 pixels 639 x 435 pixels
Photo center point: 41.5° S, 176.5° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | NEW ZEALAND-NI |
Features: | URUTI PT., PLANKTON PLUME |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 44° |
Sun Azimuth: | 57° |
Camera: | Kodak DCS760c Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 180mm |
Camera Tilt: | 55 degrees |
Format: | 3060E: 3060 x 2036 pixel CCD, RGBG array |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 pixels | 710 pixels | No | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 383 pixels | Yes | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 405 pixels | Yes | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 3032 pixels | 2008 pixels | No | No | Not enhanced | Download Image |
| 639 pixels | 435 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
Along the Pacific coast of New Zealand's North Island, the advance of austral spring returns the sunlight needed to spur phytoplankton blooms. In the center of this slightly enhanced image captured on October 27, 2005, a plume extends from the coastline (near Castlepoint in the southern part of North Island) and rotates in an offshore eddy. Another broader swath of less-intensely colored plankton appears in the lower part of the picture. Both plankton masses are being swept offshore (eastward) by waters of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Large areas of plankton production occur at about 40 degrees South latitude along the convergence zone--known as the Subtropical Front--between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and subtropical waters. The converging of the different water masses mixes and disperses nutrients, with plankton blooms appearing when spring lighting becomes strong enough. The convergence zone extends generally east-west at about the latitude of Cook Strait, which divides New Zealand's North and South Islands (not visible). Satellite imagery shows that the plankton blooms in this image extended fully 8 degrees of longitude eastward, past the Chatham Islands.
Smaller, brightly colored eddies along the coastline are sediment plumes generated by wave action and supplied by rivers. The coastal sediment patterns reveal the precise location of the convergence zone. Castlepoint marks a change in coastline orientation but also a change in nearshore current direction: south of Castlepoint sediment is moved by the north-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current. But north of Castlepoint, nearshore sediment is transported southwards by currents in the subtropical waters, before being caught up in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (arrows indicate current directions).
