Colony of Chaetoceros socialis

Description:

Summary[edit] Description: English: Phytoplankton – such as this colony of Chaetoceros socialis – naturally give off fluorescent light as they dissipate excess solar energy that they cannot consume through photosynthesis.Source: Behrenfeld, M.J., Westberry, T.K., Boss, E.S., O'Malley, R.T., Siegel, D.A., Wiggert, J.D., Franz, B.A., McLain, C.R., Feldman, G.C., Doney, S.C. and Moore, J.K. (2009) "Satellite-detected fluorescence reveals global physiology of ocean phytoplankton". Biogeosciences, 6(5): 779–794. Date: 2009. Source: NASA. Author: Credit: Maria Vernet, Scripps Institution of Oceanography.