Why do waves glow at night

At about a. And the reward for that was worth the lack of sleep I got that last night. Red tides are unpredictable and not all of them produce bioluminescence. There is no red tide monitoring program, but the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System at Scripps Oceanography performs weekly sampling for potential harmful algal toxins. Scientists do not know how long the current red tide will last, as previous events have lasted anywhere from one week to a month or more.

Steers said these kinds of tides are more common during spring and summer months, showing up when the weather warms. According to Scripps biological oceanographer Peter Franks, the actual red tide is most visible during the day between 11 a. At midday, the photosynthetic organisms swim upward toward the light, creating a thin, dense layer near the surface. Feeling inspired to capture the beauty of nature? Check out our blog about taking nature photos on your mobile phone , or learn from expert photographer Carl Charter in his tips for underwater photography.

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