China’s sparkling bioluminescent seas are called ‘blue tears’

Описание: Scientists report in a new study they have found a way for satellites to track the bioluminescent plankton responsible for producing “blue tears” in China’s coastal waters and found the sparkly creatures have become more abundant in recent years.

Red Noctiluca scintillans are single-celled organisms found in coastal waters all over the world. Commonly known as sea sparkles, at night they glow a bright blue when disturbed by swimmers, waves or passing boats. The sea sparkles’ dazzling blue light, often called “blue tears,” can be seen after dark on many of China’s shores and have become a major tourist attraction in recent years, especially in Taiwan’s Matsu Islands.

Scientists report in AGU’s journal Geophysical Research Letters they have developed a way to track red Noctiluca scintillans blooms by satellite using the organism’s unique ability to absorb and scatter light. The new method could help researchers better track harmful red tides and boost tourism on China’s east coast.

Read more about this research on AGU’s Newsroom:
https://news.agu.org/press-release/ch...

Read the new study about this research here:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.c...

Imagery provided by:
Google Earth
Yu-Xian Yang, Lienchiang county government, Taiwan
Sheng-Fang Tsai, National Taiwan Ocean University
Chuanmin Hu, University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab/NASA:
https://optics.marine.usf.edu/subscri...
NASA:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ima...
Mutolisp, album “Matsu” on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mutolis..., CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: https://www.flickr.com/people/mutolisp/
Lucas Bento, CC BY SA 4.0:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Bruce Anderson, CC BY 2.0:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Franz Krachtus, CC BY:
   • Red Tide Causes Bioluminescent Ocean  
Tom Fisk:
https://www.pexels.com/video/aerial-v...

Music:
Waves Of Tranquility by spinningmerkaba, CC BY 3.0:
http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/jlbrock...

Video produced by Lauren Lipuma at AGU.