Blooms of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska

© Norman Kuring/Kathryn Hansen/U.S. Geological Survey/NAS

What's blooming so brightly?. Earth Science Week

Hundreds of shades of blue are marbled together in this cool shot. No, it's not a work of modern art, it's right off the brush of nature. This is a satellite photo of phytoplankton blooming near Alaska as the cool, salty Chukchi Sea mingles with warmer, fresher water closer to shore.

But just what are phytoplankton? They're microscopic sun-powered organisms that float near the surface of the ocean, drifting with the currents. In fact, their name derives from the Greek 'phyton' for plant and 'planktos' for wanderer or drifter. Delicious and nut…..