The plankton, which form the most abundant life in the oceans, is composed mainly of microscopic marine plants that drift on the surface of the sea or near it. The plankton was nicknamed “the grass of the sea” because it is the staple food on which all other forms of marine life.

As the plankton contain chlorophyll pigments for photosynthesis, these simple organisms also play a role similar to that of terrestrial green plants in the process of photosynthesis.

Plankton is capable of transforming inorganic compounds such as water, nitrogen and carbon in material organic complex. This ability to digest these compounds, it is estimated that the plankton contributes as much as terrestrial vegetation to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Although these microscopic organisms, the chlorophyll they use for photosynthesis gives color to the waters of the ocean where they concentrate, which provides a means of detecting these tiny organisms from space through sensors dedicated to the study of the “color of the sea” as the camera Envisat.

The emerald green patch in Sweden Lake Vänern, the largest of country . Green water that nimbent Denmark are due to sediment carried by water.

At the center of the picture you can also see the second largest fjord of Norway, the Hardangerfjord, north of which lies the city of Bergen will host the symposium program “Living Planet” ESA from 28 June to 2 July 2010. Some 1000 scientists and users data of observation of Earth  are expected. They will present and compare the results of their work on the basis of data collected by ESA satellites and other operators.

This image was acquired on May 3 by the MERIS camera mode “full resolution” which allows to distinguish details on the ground of 300 m.