In the wee hours of Sunday, waves hitting the shore of Juhu beach glowed blue with the shimmering effect of bioluminescence microbes.
Marine phytoplankton called dinoflagellates —part of the family of microscopic plants that form the bottom of the food chain of marine life — are responsible for lighting up the waters at night. The neon blue waves are created when these microbes come into contact with each other. The phenomenon is more characteristic of Lakshadweep.
Sumeet Gambhir a resident of Juhu Koliwada said, "A friend of mine saw the phenomenon and captured it in a video at around 1 am on Sunday near the beach entrance to Juhu Koliwada on the southern side of the beach."
Even as the photographs and a video of the occurrence went viral, several marine enthusiasts and even Gambhir who visited the Juhu beach on Sunday night could not spot it.
As per experts, Phytoplanktons are tiny organisms about 0.5mm in size. When washed ashore, as waves lash or vibrate, a protein called luciferase is activated, triggering a series of chemical reactions that produce the neon blue glow. These have a tail-like structure called flagella that produces light when disturbed or stressed and will give a light flash lasting for a smaller duration.
"I was at the Juhu beach between 11.30pm to almost 1 am to spot it but I wasn't lucky to spot it. I won't be surprised by these sightings as similar reports of this phenomenon was also reported by marine biologists from Goa on March 19, and at Dandi beach in Malvan on March 29," said Shaunak Modi a marine enthusiast and part of the Marine Life Of Mumbai (MLOM), a group that has been documenting marine life along Mumbai' coast.
Bioluminescence was first reported from Mumbai in November 2016 and the phenomenon was spotted for two weeks. However, as per experts, it was not reported in 2017 and 2018. According to marine experts light pollution in Mumbai especially around the beaches could be a major reason for this phenomenon not being seen or reported as the glow is visible in dark.
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