× This page contains archived content and is no longer being updated. At the time of publication, it represented the best available science. While the northern latitudes are bathed in the dull colors and light of mid-winter, the waters of the southern hemisphere are alive with mid-summer blooms. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natura
![Spiral of Plankton](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/d472a27d9963772427fb89e1da9ddbe1d688321b/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Feoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov%2Fimages%2Fimagerecords%2F82000%2F82761%2Fwaswirl_amo_2013364_tn.jpg)