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Where is it?Gulf of Gdańsk , Poland [ 54.49454424 , 19.056185969 ]
What ’s in the photo?Slicks of organic material purl on the ocean surface
This false-color satellite image highlights swirling films of organic material on the surface of the Gulf of Gdańsk in 2018. Scientists did not figure out what it was until 5 years later.
Which satellite pick out the photo?European Space Agency ’s Sentinel-2A artificial satellite
When was it taken?May 16 , 2018
This striking false - color satellite image showsmasses of constitutive stuff swirling along the Polish coastline . When the photograph was taken , the composition of these gargantuan vortex was unknown , but surprising inquiry has since revealed what they are made of .
The 2018 slicks extended more than 130 miles (210 km) from the coastline.
In 2000 , planet imagery revealed the presence of antecedently unknown , near - unseeable films of organic material , or " glossy , " periodically appear on the sea Earth’s surface in and around the Gulf of Gdańsk — a section of the Baltic Sea surrounding the city of Gdańsk on Poland ’s north coast .
The estimable example of this challenging phenomenon go on in May 2018 , when the swirls reached more than 130 mile ( 210 kilometers ) from the coastline , grant toNASA ’s Earth Observatory . The photos of this issue ( see above and below ) have been alter to highlight the wavelengths of light number from the mystery substance , which also makes the land surrounding Gdańsk appear flushed .
Scientists were initially unsure what these slicks were made of . They formedsimilar patterns to photosynthetic algae bloomsthat get swirled across the sea airfoil by tip and sea currents . However , such blooms are commonly clearly visible to the naked middle in most satellite photos , and often emerge several months earlier than when the slip preserve appearing .
Researchers first detected pollen on the surface of the Baltic Sea in 2013. However, at the time, they did not believe it could explain the slicks.
Some research worker subsequently proposed that the material could be " ocean snot " — a slimy centre farm by some plankton , which can stick to boat and along the coastline . However , locals have never reported anysea snot outbreaksin the field .
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But during a2023 studyinto the slick , researchers finally pull in what they were made of : tree pollen .
Using data point call for byNASA ’s Terra and Aqua satellites , the field squad unwrap that similar slicks had appeared 14 clip between 2000 and 2001 . The timing of these slicks , which often come out between May and June , close matched the pollen Hz of pine trees ( Pinus sylvestris ) , suggesting that the tree ' pollen was being blown out to sea and settling on the ocean ’s surface .
A further psychoanalysis of the light reflected off the slick confirmed this hypothesis .
Ocean pollen
Pine trees are the most coarse tree diagram in Poland , making up around 60 % of the country ’s forest , which in turn cover one - third of the commonwealth ’s land mass , concord toState Forests Poland .
old research had already shown that the pollen of these tree diagram could end up in the Baltic Sea . But until the 2023 study , there was no indication that this was happening on such a bombastic scale , according to the Earth Observatory .
Due to pollen ’s high organic carbon content , research worker believe survey - up cogitation are needed to fully assess the use it plays in devil dog ecosystems across the Earth .
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" If we can trail pollen aggregation in unlike place , this may provide useful data point for fishery studies,“Chuanmin Hu , an optical oceanographer at the University of South Florida who leave the 2023 sketch , previously told the Earth Observatory .
The amount of pollen attain the world ’s oceans is also likely increasing as a outcome of human - causedclimate change : A2021 studyin North America reveal that one-year pollen levels increased by 21 % between 1990 and 2018 , and that the pollen season lasted for around 20 days longer on average . This is the result of increase atmospheric C dioxide , which allow plant to produce more pollen — and is take place around the world .
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