Ever spotted the Sea tinkle? Chennai witnessed a Bioluminescence on Sunday 18th August at night. The sparkles on the sea could be viewed along the coast from Kovalam to Thiruvanmiyur in the city. This is a very rare sighting wherein the ebb and flow of the beach water is accompanied by a magical blue glow. No sooner was the internet stormed with videos posted about this rare phenomena.
The Marine experts termed the phenomena of the blue glow as Bioluminescence. It is caused by Noctiluca Scintillans, a type of phytoplankton that converts their chemical energy into light energy when washed ashore.
Like fireflies, bioluminescence is found in various marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks. It may be a visual treat for us, however the experts said that the sighting is not a healthy sign for marine health and is an indicator for climate change. It has the potential to disrupt the long term health of the ecosystem.
Pooja Kumar, Activist & Researcher at the Coastal Resource Centre tweeted about this sighting. She stated that "these microscopic plankton usually bloom in areas where there is an oxygen deficit, and potentially high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, etc. which is usually bad news for the larger marine web."
Furthermore, she added that "these blooms have also been linked to massive fish kill, due to the ammonia released. They have also been implicated in the decline of fisheries in some places! I’ll be on the lookout for fishkill reported by Chennai’s fishers in the aftermath."
Were you at the ECR beach to witness the glow? Share your experiences in the comments below.