Image of the week: Global ocean colour 2024

Watching our Earth from space

This week’s image shows chlorophyll-a concentrations in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea - as monitored by satellites such as the Copernicus Sentinel-3 series operated by EUMETSAT.

Last Updated

13 June 2025

Published on

13 June 2025

Chlorophyll-a concentration is a key indicator of phytoplankton, which are microscopic marine algae that form the basis of marine food chains. More phytoplankton can mean more food for zooplankton, fish, and ultimately larger marine animals.

Phytoplankton also play a key role in sustaining life on Earth as they are responsible for producing over half of the world’s oxygen and they help regulate the climate as they absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll-A concentration image

The image is taken from a visualisation that shows a year of Chlorophyl-a concentrations around the world in 2024.

The visualisation captures seasonal shifts in phytoplankton blooms, nutrient-rich upwelling zones, and the swirling paths of major ocean currents that drive life in our oceans.