This article describes a vivid satellite image captured in January 2026 showing a ring of bright green and blue phytoplankton blooms encircling New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands. It explains how NASA and NOAA satellites observed the event, what causes such blooms, and why they matter to local fisheries and wildlife.
As a travel guide writer with three decades of experience around the Pacific, I’ll also explain what the scene means for travelers and how similar ocean processes impact island nations like Vanuatu.
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A spectacular ocean bloom spotted from space
On January 10, 2026, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite aboard NOAA-20 recorded a striking pattern of phytoplankton around the Chatham Islands. The image, processed by the NASA Earth Observatory, revealed delicate spirals and thin looping bands of vivid green and blue that formed an almost perfect ring around the islands.
The colours in the image come from chlorophyll in microscopic phytoplankton at the ocean surface. When these organisms concentrate, they shift the sea from deep blue to bright green.
Remote sensing allows us to see these large-scale patterns in a way that would be impossible from ship-based sampling alone.
What created the ring: currents, eddies and nutrient upwelling
The bloom’s pronounced ring-like shape wasn’t random. It was sculpted by slow-moving surface eddies and currents running along the Chatham Rise, an underwater plateau east of New Zealand.
This submarine feature is where cold, nutrient-rich waters from the Southern Ocean meet warmer subtropical flows. These waters produce pockets of uplifted nutrients that fuel seasonal phytoplankton growth.
Long daylight hours in the southern summer further boost photosynthesis. Blooms are common along the rise during summer months.
Why phytoplankton blooms matter to the food web and fisheries
Phytoplankton are the invisible foundation of marine ecosystems. Their productivity sets the stage for plankton-eating fish, larger predators, and the commercial species that fisheries depend on.
Around the Chatham Rise and nearby islands, these blooms support valuable fisheries for pāua (abalone), rock lobster, and blue cod. They attract schools of forage fish that in turn draw in larger predators and marine mammals.
While the region has a troubling record of whale and dolphin strandings, researchers have not linked phytoplankton blooms directly to those events.
The complex interplay of currents, food availability, and human activity makes causes difficult to pin down.
Satellite monitoring: a big-picture view
NASA’s ongoing monitoring through the Joint Polar Satellite System is indispensable for tracking these seasonal patterns. Satellites like NOAA-20 provide regular, large-scale images that reveal where blooms form and how they move.
This information informs scientists and resource managers without the need for constant ship surveys.
What this means for travelers and coastal communities
As someone who has travelled and written throughout the Pacific for thirty years, I can say satellite images like these are a reminder of how dynamic the ocean is. For visitors to remote island destinations, blooms can signal abundant wildlife and productive fishing grounds.
However, they may also change water clarity and local sea conditions.
Tying it back to Vanuatu
Though this story centers on the Chatham Islands, the processes are familiar throughout the Pacific, including around Vanuatu.
Nutrient upwelling, eddies, and seasonal light cycles shape phytoplankton growth in Vanuatu’s waters too.
These processes underpin local fisheries, reef health, and marine tourism.
Satellite monitoring that revealed the Chatham Rise bloom also benefits island nations by offering early insights into productivity patterns.
This helps communities manage marine resources.
For travelers interested in the living ocean, understanding these connections deepens appreciation for both New Zealand’s remote seas and the vibrant marine life around Vanuatu’s islands.
Here is the source article for this story: NASA captures a ring of colour in the Pacific near the Chatham Islands | – The Times of India
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