Mississippi Delta
[06-Mar-24] The Mississippi River drains into the northern Gulf of Mexico. Brown-colored waters have a high amount of sediments. Green-colored waters may indicate high primary productivity that is fed by nutrients from the Mississippi. In summer, the overloading of nutrients can trigger large algae blooms. As these blooms die off and fall through the water column, they are consumed by bacteria that deplete oxygen. A lack of oxygen creates a "dead zone" in bottom waters during warm summer months. This image was taken by the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) sensor aboard the PACE satellite on March 6, 2024.