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The biogeochemical properties of an extensive bloom (∼250,000 km²) of the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, in the north east Atlantic Ocean were investigated in June 1991. Satellite (NOAA‐AVHRR) imagery showed that the bloom was centered initially at 60°–63°N by 13°–28°W and lasted approximately 3 weeks. Spatial variations in satellite‐measured reflectance were well correlated with surface measurements of the beam attenuation coefficient, levels of particulate inorganic carbon, and coccolith density. Rates of both photosynthesis and calcification were typically relatively low within the coccolithophore‐rich waters, suggesting the population was in a late stage of development at the time of the field observations. Levels of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in surface waters were high compared to average ocean values, with the greatest concentrations in localized areas characterized by relatively high rates of …