Amazing series: glowing plankton

Luminous plankton is an amazing sight. This microscopic organism is able to turn the whole sea into a shining starry sky, moving the observer into a fantastic world of magic.

Plankton

Plankton is a generic name for a variety of heterogeneous organisms that predominantly inhabit well-lit water layers. They are not able to resist the force of the current, so often their groups carry them to the shores.

Any (including luminous) plankton is food for the rest, larger inhabitants of the reservoir. It is a mass of algae and animals that are very small in size, with the exception of jellyfish and ctenophores. Many of them move independently, therefore, during periods of calm, plankton can move away from the coast and ply along the reservoir.

As mentioned above, the upper layers of the sea or ocean are the richest in plankton, but some species (for example, bacteria and zooplankton) inhabit the water column to the maximum depths possible for life.

What kinds of plankton are shining?

Not all species have the ability to bioluminescence. In particular, it lacks large jellyfish and diatoms.

Luminous plankton is mainly represented by unicellular plants - dinoflagellates. By the end of summer, their numbers reach a peak in warm weather, so during this period you can observe a particularly intense illumination off the coast.

If the water shines with separate green flashes, then one can be sure that these are planktonic crustaceans. In addition to them, ctenophores are prone to bioluminescence. Their light is dimmer and spreads through the body with azure overflows when colliding with an obstacle.

Sometimes it happens quite a rare phenomenon, when the glowing plankton in the Black Sea shines for a long time without interruption. At such times, the flowering of the dinophyte algae takes place, and the density of their cells per liter of liquid is so great that individual flashes merge into a bright and constant illumination of the surface.

Why does the plankton glow in the sea?

Plankton emits light through chemical processes called bioluminescence. In a thorough study, it was revealed that this is nothing more than a conditioned reflex in response to irritation.

Sometimes it may seem that the action happens spontaneously, but this is not true. Even the movement of water itself serves as an irritant, the force of friction has a mechanical effect on the animal. It causes an electrical impulse that rushes to the cell, as a result of which the vacuole, filled with elementary particles, generates energy followed by a chemical reaction that pours out into the surface glow of the body. With additional exposure, bioluminescence is enhanced.

In a more simple language, we can say that the luminous plankton will shine even brighter when it collides with some obstacle or other stimulus. For example, if you lower your hand into the very clump of organisms or throw a small stone at its center, the result will be a very bright flash, capable of instantly blind the observer.

In general, this is a very beautiful sight, because when objects fall into the water filled with plankton, blue or green neon circles diverge from the place of its entry. Observation of this effect is very relaxing, but you should not abuse throw throws into the water.

Where to see

There is a luminous plankton in the Maldives and in the Crimea (the Black Sea). It can be seen in Thailand, but, judging by the reviews, infrequently. Many tourists complained that for this spectacle visited even paid beaches, but often remained with nothing.

With scuba gear, it's very cool to watch plankton at a depth. This is comparable with being under the star and literally breathtaking. Nevertheless, it is worth doing only with a small accumulation of organisms. This is due to the release of some species of plankton, toxic toxins that are dangerous to human health.

Therefore, it is still safer to observe the glow from the shore. It is especially not recommended at such times to release children into the water, because the dose of toxins, which will be trivial for adults, can cause intoxication in a growing organism.