Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
 
Edit by Fir0002

The Grand Prismatic Spring of Yellowstone National Park showing steam rising from hot and sterile deep azure blue water (owing to the light absorbing overtone of an OH stretch which is shifted to 698 nm by hydrogen bonding [1]) in the center surrounded by huge mats of brilliant orange algae and bacteria. The color of which is due to the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoid molecules produced by the organisms. During summertime the chlorophyll content of the organisms is low and thus the mats appear orange, red, or yellow. However during the winter, the mats are usually dark green, because sunlight is more scarce and the microbes produce more chlorophyll to compensate, thereby masking the carotenoid colors. The effect is thus somewhat simillar to, but oppositely timed, to what is seen in deciduous plants. A jaw droppingly beautiful image IMHO, with lots of sciencey goodness to boot! Image is probably a scan and is a bit blurry at full size but its so large that I think it's easily overlooked, though perhaps an unsharp mask is in order.

Promoted Image:Grand prismatic spring.jpg 15/2, 13 votes for orginal version, 1 vote for edited version, 1 vote for either version, 2 votes opposed -- Jtkiefer T | @ | C ----- 02:44, August 28, 2005 (UTC)