Bioluminescence at the Beach

You may not be aware, but over the last week, at beaches throughout Santa Cruz, we have had an otherworldly phenomenon happening each evening.  BIOLUMINESCENCE. Or as the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website so eloquently puts it, “…minuscule dinoflagellate plankton firing off their biological fireworks, and giving the Milky Way a run for its inspirational money.”   Their website goes on to say, “…According to our colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), bioluminescence is characterized as the production and emission of light by living organisms and is found throughout nature, from deep-sea corals to fireflies.”  How cool is that?! The light from these tiny creatures is triggered by agitation.  At our beaches, that means we get to see a beautiful, eery blue glow when the waves crash.  

The glow in our local waters is generated by a common species of plankton called Lingulodinium polyedra.  This particular type, a species of single-celled dinoflagellates, appear reddish-brown during the day (aka The Red Tide) and then emit light by way of bioluminescence at night. “Red Tide” is a generic name for many varieties of plankton that turn the waters red during the day.  Although some of these red tides are known to emit toxins that can be dangerous to humans, not all of them do.  As well, not all red tides produce bioluminescence either!  

Although uncommon, this is not a rare event, and, as red tides seem to be increasing in frequency, perhaps due to rising ocean temperatures, these bioluminescent displays may also increase.