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Algae invasion! Sea Ghosts create beautiful light show on China’s beach

Blue bioluminescence produced by red Noctiluca scintillans near Taiwan’s Matsu Islands

China’s Xiangbi’ao beach shone with a majestic sparkling glow-in-the-dark blue hue last week after a natural phenomenon called “Sea Ghosts” invaded the waters.  Sea Ghost or “Sea Sparkle” is created by the growth of an algal bloom called Noctiluca scintallans, a type of single-cell animal that loves to munch on plankton. Noctiluca scintillans is a marine species of dinoflagellate that can exist in a blue, green or red form, depending on the pigmentation in its vacuoles.

Noctiluca scintillans is a translucent, single-celled spheroid organism that typically ranges in length from 400 to 1500 μm. Although it moves with the current, it is not capable of swimming. One of the distinguishing characteristics of N. scintillans is its long cytoplasmic expansion, which hangs at the base of a deep groove near the nucleus. Additionally, fine striae extend from the central nucleus towards the periphery of the cell. This species is easily recognizable due to the blue flashes it emits during night dives.

The organisms multiply when nitrogen and phosphorus from farm fertilizer run-off enters the water.  Beautiful, yes – but harmful to the ecosystem.  When the blooms die, they sink to the bottom of the sea where they decompose, consuming huge amounts of oxygen and killing other marine life.

The name Noctiluca scintillans comes from the Latin Noctiluca, meaning “light at night” and scintillans, meaning “shining, throwing out flashes of light”.

Check out the Sea Sparkle on China’s Xiangbi’ao beach in the pictorial gallery below.

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Blue blowing Sea Sparkle on China's Xiangbi'ao beach via Daily Mail by Huanqui.com with usage type - Fair use with modification
Blue blowing Sea Sparkle on China's Xiangbi'ao beach nOCTILUCA SCINTILLANS via Daily Mail by Huanqui.com with usage type - Fair use with modification
Blue blowing Sea Sparkle on China's Xiangbi'ao beach Changle city via Daily Mail by Huanqui.com with usage type - Fair use with modification
Blue blowing Sea Sparkle on China's Xiangbi'ao beach via Daily Mail by Huanqui.com with usage type - Fair use with modification
Blue blowing Sea Sparkle on China's Xiangbi'ao beach via Daily Mail by Huanqui.com with usage type - Fair use with modification
Blue bioluminescence produced by red Noctiluca scintillans near Taiwan’s Matsu Islands via AGU by Yu-Xian Yang, Lienchiang country government, Taiwan with usage type - News Release Media

Featured Image Credit

Blue bioluminescence produced by red Noctiluca scintillans near Taiwan’s Matsu Islands via AGU by Yu-Xian Yang, Lienchiang country government, Taiwan with usage type - News Release Media

 

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