Ocean Color Image Gallery

Mozambique Channel Eddies

Every year, approximately four large-scale eddies are created in the North of the Mozambique channel and travel Southwards. They often reach 300 km in diameter and contribute to making the region a biological hotspot. The area is of major importance for fisheries and presents the highest diversity of fishes caught in the Indian Ocean. Cyclonic eddies (rotating clockwise in the southern hemisphere) bring nutrient-rich waters from the bottom to the surface, which feeds phytoplankton. On the other hand, anticyclonic eddies are typically clear and poor in plankton in the center, but rich on the edges. Frigatebirds are known to forage along these edges, where their preys concentrate. In addition to having great biological importance, Mozambique Channel eddies impact the weather, by influencing the intensity and track of tropical cyclones in the region.

This image was captured on June 15, 2023, by the Aqua-MODIS sensor.