Bioluminescent dinoflagellates turn breaking waves into blue sparks
Some coastal dinoflagellates flash blue-green light when mechanically disturbed — a chemical defense that may startle grazers or summon predators of those grazers.
Dense blooms can paint kayak wakes and surf lines with living fire that vanishes a second later. The light comes from luciferin reacting inside the cells, not reflected moonlight.
Night shores can write their own neon. When plankton ignite under a paddle stroke, the ocean is advertising life in photons.
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