Norwegian Waters Have Turned a Vibrant Turquoise Color That Can Be Seen From Space

Kayla Blanton
·3 min read
Photo credit: NASA
Photo credit: NASA

From House Beautiful

  • NASA’s Terra satellite captured a “bloom” of phytoplankton in Norway’s Hardangerfjord.

  • Emiliania huxleyi, harmless microorganisms, have turned the water a blue-green color.

  • The vibrant hue can be spotted all the way from space.

There is power in numbers, and it just so happens that a mass of phytoplankton have the power to turn an entire body of water bright blue. So bright, in fact, that the mesmerizing hue can be spotted all the way from space.

On May 30 and June 12, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a “bloom” of the microorganisms in Norway’s Hardangerfjord, a result of their rapid reproduction. According to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, depending on the particular species, these blooms can turn waters blue, green, brown, and even red. Hardangerfjord has been overtaken by Emiliania huxleyi, per NASA, whose calcium carbonate shells—also known as coccoliths—emit a funky teal.

“There doesn’t necessarily need to be as much of it as you might think, because Ehux, as we call it, sheds lots of calcium carbonate scales into the surrounding water,” plankton researcher Lars-Johan Naustvoll told Norway’s Institute of Marine Research. Those scales are ultra-reflective, making the water’s surface appear blue-green.

Like the seasonal turning of tree leaves, researchers have come to expect these blooms every spring. But they have to be monitored closely, because some species threaten the environment. For example, a bloom of “killer alga” known as Chrysochromulina leadbeateri suffocated a large percentage of Norway’s farmed salmon last year.

Thankfully, Ehux are harmless. “The only hazard [Ehux] poses may be reduced visibility for people in boats,” Naustvoll explained. “Fishers also report a reduction in their catches. That could be because the reduced visibility also makes it harder for fish to locate prey, which may cause them to move.”

It’s not just Norway experiencing these blooms, either. A 2017 study conducted by Stanford University and NASA found that over the last few decades, they’ve been increasingly popping up globally. And although they’re pretty to look at, toxic invasions can be seriously detrimental.

“Toxic algal blooms affect drinking water supplies, agriculture, fishing, recreation, and tourism,” explained the study’s lead author Jeff Ho. “Studies indicate that just in the United States, freshwater blooms result in the loss of $4 billion each year.” Co-author Anna Michalak added: “Algal blooms really are getting more widespread and more intense, and it’s not just that we are paying more attention to them now than we were decades ago.”

Right now, the specific cause of the uptick in blooms is unknown, although the study finds that warming water temperatures may be a contributing factor.

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