Magical Minefield Created by Bioluminescent Plankton
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| Bioluminescent Plankton |
Bloom of Bioluminescent Plankton: IT DOESN'T get much better than this. It's a moonless night and you are on beach of the Hong Kong. At night time where you can see waves hit the shore, the beautiful blue light start shining on the beach like Las Vegas. Glowing organisms stick to your feet. It is one of the most amazing magical natural sights in the world.
This picture was taken on Hong Kong Beach, but bioluminescent organisms are found all over the world. The ones here are probably single-celled protists and marine crustaceans called copepods. Both glow when they are disturbed.
The light is produced by devilishly named twins: a pigment called luciferin and an enzyme, luciferase. Luciferin reacts with oxygen, and luciferase speeds up the reaction. Noctiluca glow when they’re disturbed, which is why the blooms are primarily visible on the shores, where they’re tossed by waves. This recent bloom was caused by agricultural
runoff – fertilizers and other chemicals washed from farmland into the sea by rain. A range of unrelated animals use the same pigment-enzyme pair to produce light, including fireflies, anglerfish and jellyfish. Bioluminescence evolved independently many times: in the bigger picture, it ain't so magical after all. For the time being, however, photographers willing to spend the night on some long-exposure photography are being treated to a truly special opportunity!
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