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File:Sediment off the Yucatan Peninsula.jpg

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English: A burst of colour lights the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula. The swirls of tan, green, blue, and white are most likely sediment in the water. The sediment scatters light, giving the water its color. The sediment comes from two sources: the land and the sea floor. Some of the color may also come from phytoplankton, tiny plant-like organisms that live in the sun-lit surface waters of the ocean. Near the shore, the water is tan where rivers carry dirt from land to the ocean. As the sediment disperses, the water fades to green and then black. To the north (top), the water is more blue and white than tan and green. In these regions, the sediment has likely come from the sea floor. Made up of chalky white calcium carbonate from shell-building marine life like coral, sea floor sediment gives the water a white or bright blue colour. The sediment was probably brought to the surface in shallow waters by strong waves. A few days before the image was taken, strong winds churned the Gulf. The blue-green cloud in this image roughly matches the extent of the shallow continental shelf west of the peninsula.
Français : Des tourbillons colorées en brun, vert, bleu et blanc ornent les eaux peu profondes du Golfe du Mexique au large de la Péninsule du Yucatán après une tempête. Ces colorations sont dues principalement à des sédiments qui colorent l'eau en dispersant la lumière, et qui ont été soulevés par les vagues. Il existe deux sources de sédiments dans la mer: les terres émergées et le fond. Une partie de la coloration peut aussi être due à du phytoplancton. Les zones brunes près de la côte sont colorées par des sédiments déversés par les fleuves qui parcourent la péninsule. Les zones claires contiennent des sédiments blancs provenant du fond océanique, ici de nature corallienne et constitué principalement de calcaire. Les zones colorées correspondent grossièrement au plateau continental, où le fond est suffisamment près de la surface pour être affecté par la tempête.
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Source NASA Earth Observatory (original image)
Author NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
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Instrument: Terra - MODIS

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Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
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14 December 2008

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current12:10, 26 April 2009Thumbnail for version as of 12:10, 26 April 20092,400 × 2,000 (1.59 MB)Originalwana{{Information |Description={{en|1=A burst of colour lights the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula. The swirls of tan, green, blue, and white are most likely sediment in the water. The sediment scatters light, giving the water i

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