Every summer, phytoplankton spread across the northern basins of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, with blooms spanning hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers. NASA has revealed an incredible image of a gigantic ‘whirlpool’ of algae in the Baltic sea. Blooms this summer off of Scandinavia seem to be particularly intense.

The swirling bloom is at least 15 miles across, which means New York City’s Manhattan Island could fit inside it with a little room to spare. Researchers are unsure what is causing the strange pattern. ‘Note how the phytoplankton trace the edges of a vortex; it is possible that this ocean eddy is pumping up nutrients from the depths,‘ the agency said. READ MORE