[{SlideShowNav}]

!!!Ocean eddy 

[{Image src='120xo.jpg' width='600' height='405' caption='Image courtesy of NASA. ' popup='false' alt='Ocean eddy ' class='image_left'}]
[{SET customtitle='Ocean eddy '}]
The blue-colored swirl at the bottom right of this satellite image is an ocean eddy - a huge mass of water spinning in a whirlpool pattern. Eddies often spin off of major ocean current systems. 

The blue tint is a result of microscopic plant-like organisms called plankton, which grow as a result of the eddy stirring up nutrients from the deep to the surface. 

This image is from 26 December 2011 around 800 km (500 mi) south of South Africa.