Visitor to Chennai's Injambakkam beach and Besant Nagar’s Eliot’s Beach were in for a treat on August 18, 2019. They witnessed what is popularly known as 'Sea Tinkle'. This is essentially a blue shimmer on the waves. Pictures and comments about this phenomenon kept social media abuzz for the next couple of days.
The phenomenon, caused by Noctiluca algae, is also known as bioluminescence. The algae biologically produce light when disturbed. Bioluminescence has been observed in fireflies, a few beetles and in marine creatures such as Anglerfish and copepods.
Such blooms have been reported annually in the Northern Arabian Sea since the early 2000s. Goa, Mumbai and the backwaters of Kerala have witnessed these algal blooms. Recently the magical glow featured in the Malayalam movie Kumbalangi Nights, which gained much attention.
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