File:Phytoplankton Bloom in the Bass Strait (MODIS 2021-09-19).jpg

English: A thin blanket of clouds parted over the Bass Strait on September 13, 2021, allowing a glimpse at a swirling stain of blue waters. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on that same day. With a width of about 160 miles (257.5 km), the Bass Strait separates the Australian states of Victoria, on the mainland, with Tasmania in the south. The topography of the floor of the Strait has been described as a “perched valley”, with the eastern and western sides forming raised ridges. Upwelling occurs in these waters frequently, especially in the spring, bringing nutrients to the surface where it spurs the growth and reproduction of the microscopic, plant-like phytoplankton that float near the surface year-round. The explosive reproduction creates massive blooms that can easily be seen from space.