Published 16:54 IST, November 29th 2020
'Blue Tide' spotted at Juhu beach; here's what causes this natural phenomenon
In a rare phenomenon, visitors of Juhu Beach in Mumbai, Maharashtra, witnessed a spectacular fluorescent blue glow in the waves.
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In a rare phenomenon, visitors of Juhu Beach in Mumbai, Maharashtra, witnessed a spectacular fluorescent blue glow in the waves. The Ministry of Information and broadcast took to its official Twitter handle and said that the ‘Blue tide’ was spotted at Juhu, Devgad and Ratnagiri beaches. As per the caption, this phenomenon takes place when dinoflagellates produce light through chemical reactions in proteins.
Mumbai: ‘Blue tide’ spotted along Juhu, Devgad, Ratnagiri beaches
— Ministery of information and broadcast (@m_tv_news) November 27, 2020
The spectacle occurs when phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants), commonly known as dinoflagellates, produce light through chemical reactions in proteins, said researchers. Waves disturb these unicellular pic.twitter.com/SecHPQKNJd
The mystery behind 'blue tide'
According to the reports by The Daily, this phenomenon can be taking place along several areas on the west coast during this time of the year. The blue colour light is produced through a series of chemical reactions due to luciferase. These waves may look beautiful and attract a lot of people, but they can prove out to be extremely dangerous. This phenomenon is not considered good for the ecosystem. Reports by the Daily suggest that smaller blooms might be harmless. However, larger blooms can lead to extreme hypoxic conditions. This can result in fish-die offs.
Bioluminescent waves at Juhu last night. Magic! pic.twitter.com/qS9JX4fwpc
— Shaunak Modi (@Pugdandee) November 25, 2020
On seeing the beautiful images, netizens took over the comment section. While few asked where this lovely sight was, others claimed that it was 'lovely'. Tweeples also Retweeted the image with their own captions. One Twitter user wrote, "Mumbai, get out to the coast and try and catch some bioluminescent waves after dark. You're bound to be left awestruck!". Another person wrote, "I should camp at Juhu beach only tonight".
If you're in Mumbai, go to the beach in the evening and see if you can catch the waves glowing! https://t.co/h7dDVURqPz
— Marine Life of Mumbai (@MLOMumbai) November 25, 2020
These were also seen at juhu in 2016 and 2019!
— kathryn (@katfromahat) November 25, 2020
Wow !!
— Abhishek Jagdale (@CSABHI84) November 25, 2020
Lovely...
— Ananda Banerjee (@protectwildlife) November 25, 2020
Beautiful
— leo_delilah (@valli_5) November 25, 2020
The incident took place at 11:45pm on November 24 and it is being described as "Neeli Machli". Also known as bioluminescence, the phenomenon has been an annual occurrence at the west coast since the year 2016. This is seen during the months of November and December. Not just one particular thing but animals, plants, fungi and bacteria also show bioluminescence. It is found in a variety of marine organisms like bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, fish and also sharks.
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(Image Credits: Twitter/@m_tv_news)
16:55 IST, November 29th 2020