The Wild And Wonderful Pacific II
by Joyce Dickens
Title
The Wild And Wonderful Pacific II
Artist
Joyce Dickens
Medium
Photograph - Fine Art Photography
Description
Captured on a recent outing to Asilomar State Beach on the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula of the central California coast.
Uploaded
July 25th, 2015
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Comments (6)
Jeff Breiman
Beautiful blues! Liked.
Joyce Dickens replied:
Hi Jeff, thanks so much ; the waters are extremely blue right now - here is an article from News Channel 5: The Monterey Bay is so blue it looks almost like a tropical setting. It’s a sight that's caught the attention of everyone, including marine experts. “No, no never seen it like this. I was driving home the other day and looking out as many of us have an noticed, 'Oh my God, the ocean's a different color,'” Dr. Kenneth Coale, biogeochemistry professor for Moss Landing Marine Laboratories said. Coale said it's thanks to a microscopic plant known in the science world as coccolitophores. They're tiny organisms, only five microns in diameter. If you lined them up, would be the width of a hair. Coale said it takes a very specific set of conditions to get the water this blue. Above average water temperature has led to fewer nutrients at the surface and those conditions favor organisms common in tropical waters. As for the water color, in this kind of abundance, they reflect light, they change the color of the water and you know there is some kind of biological shenanigans happening out there. Coale said those microscopic plants may be unusual. But they aren't harmful and play a powerful role in the ecosystem . There’s no telling exactly how long the turquoise waters will last. But Coale said it'll stick around for as long as those tiny organisms survive.
David Godbolt
With this image Joyce, I can really feel the movement and the power of the sea, yet it looks so peaceful!
Joyce Dickens replied:
David what you see is exactly what I felt! I am in AWE every time I go down to the beach - such an undeniable force and yet as you say, very peaceful - thank you so much for your appreciation my friend! jd