The ocean glows blue at night

Image

Image: Erik Jepsen

In May 2018, ocean waves lit up aqua blue at night. The cause was a red tide, or algal bloom, off the coast of San Diego. The ocean waves agitated dinoflagellates in the water, causing a bioluminescent display at the surface.

According to Scripps, the last bioluminescent phenomena was in 2013 and the observable occurrence can last a few days to an entire month.

Resources:

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

University of California Museum of Paleontology

YouTube: Bioluminescent Waves

Type
Phenomena
Subject
Life Science

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