Visitors of Thiruvanmiyur beach in Chennai were left awestruck after they saw the presence of bioluminescent waves hitting the shores on Sunday night (August 18).
Social media was flooded with photos and videos of the bluish-green luminescent glowing light that was visible at the beaches along the East Coast Road in Chennai. Bioluminescence is a very rare phenomenon, which occurs due to the presence of a type of phytoplankton called Noctiluca Scintillans.
This free-living, marine-dwelling phytoplankton converts their chemical energy into light energy which causes the beautiful sea sparkles when washed ashore. These organisms produce light in their cytoplasm when they are disturbed.
Noctiluca Scintillans are found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks. However, the beauty of its appearance is certainly breathtaking it is no reason to celebrate as this can be an indicator of climate change.
According to marine experts, this phenomenon can be seen as an indicator of climate change and can have an impact on deep-sea fishing. Noctiluca may seem wonderful in appearance it is also infamous for causing the death of fish, as they cannot survive in these zones and can devastate the ecosystem of the sea.
According to the reports, Noctiluca voraciously eats diatoms, which are one of the most important planktonic organisms at the base of the fish-food chain. It exists in areas there is oxygen deficit and excretes large amounts of ammonia. And only a high concentration of these will make the glow visible to the naked eyes.
