Featured Image Credit: vistaalmar.es
By Kira Krall
Photos have recently surfaced of neon blue beaches illuminated in the night. The thing responsible for that heavenly blue glow is so small, you need a microscope to see it. Noctiluca scintillans is a species of plankton that blooms around the world. China, Tasmania, Florida, Belgium, and countries in other parts of the globe can experience this fanciful display when water temperatures start to warm up.
The ocean is a dangerous place and the things that call it home need a way of defending themselves against voracious predators. Some animals have large teeth, some a protective exoskeleton, but our sea sparkle went a more dramatic route. When it’s disturbed, scintillans emits a flash of blue light. While it may not look so tough to us, it can be a blinding strobe for any critter small enough to prey upon the microscopic sea sparkle.
Unfortunately, the increasing range of the sea sparkle is evidence of a warming planet. Scintillans thrives in warmer water. In the past 20 years, it has started to stretch its range toward the poles, a clear sign that the oceans are warming.
While nature’s events like a glowing sea may seem like a simple delight, there’s so much more going on when we look at these events more closely. The Earth is telling us its story through dazzling displays of light, sound, and color, and it’s up to us to listen to them.
Watch the video below to SEA sparkle in action: