Global Phytoplankton Model

[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.