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Global Phytoplankton Model


Understanding the location and characteristics of phytoplankton is key to discovering their role in the ocean ecosystem. The colors on this map represent different types of phytoplankton modeled by a high-resolution ocean and ecosystem model.
Credit: The Darwin Project (MIT). Download this image (PNG, 1.4 MB).
[08-May-18] Understanding the location and characteristics of phytoplankton is key to discovering their role in the ocean ecosystem. The colors on this map represent different types of phytoplankton modeled by a high-resolution ocean and ecosystem model. known as MITcgm.

The four colors (red, yellow, green and blue) delineate the dominant type of phytoplankton at a given location. Red areas represent diatoms which are larger, silicate-dependent phytoplankton. Yellow areas depict flagellates - single-celled protists with one or more whip-like organelles often used for propulsion. The green areas correspond to tiny plankton such as Prochlorococcus, while the blue delineates other small phytoplankton such as Synechococcus.