File:Florida (MODIS 2019-09-30).jpg

English: On September 26, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired true-color image of an early autumn day in southern Florida.

Popcorn clouds sit over the eastern section of the state, including many of the beaches along the Atlantic Coast. A broad gray swath along the Atlantic Ocean marks heavy populated areas rich in man-made structures. This extends roughly from Homestead in the south to Fort Pierce in the north. The wetlands of the Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, appears colored in greens and tans. A World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty, the Everglades provides critical habitat for numerous rare and endangered species such as the manatee, American Crocodile and the Florida Panther. Another swath of gray along the Gulf of Mexico marks dense human habitation from Marco Island (south) to Fort Myers (north).

Off the tip of Florida, a string of islands extend to the south and curve to the west, forming a demarcation between the Gulf of Mexico (north) and the Atlantic Ocean. These small islands form the Florida Keys, once made famous by Ernest Hemmingway and beloved by sun-seeking tourists. Key West may be the most westerly of the Florida Keys, but not the end of the island chain. About 20 miles west lies the tiny, uninhabited Marquesas Keys; another 37 miles west brings one to the Dry Tortugas.

The blue waters of the Gulf and Atlantic near the Keys are stained with color, with the greens on the easterly side transitioning to a bright blue in the west. A long tendril of milky blue extends far beyond Dry Tortugas, carried by the Florida Current. These colors are primarily caused by the growth of phytoplankton, which are microscopic, plant-like organisms that thrive in these warm waters nearly year-round. Each species of phytoplankton contains different pigments, lending a different color to the colony when viewed from space.