What causes bioluminescence in ocean? Why marine life glows in summer


  • Although these microscopic organisms are among the ocean’s smallest, their “blooms” are often visible from space.
  • Phytoplankton are critical to making the planet livable and contribute to the global carbon cycle as key producers of oxygen.
  • The composition of phytoplankton blooms may be changing over time with warmer sea surface temperatures, scientists say.
  • Phytoplankton can grow explosively over a few days or weeks, according to NASA.

Microscopic plant-like organisms that form dazzling turquoise displays in shallow waters have returned as spring in North America transitions into a wet summer.

Sunlight and warm temperatures in the North Sea, between Scotland and Norway, have enabled phytoplankton to come to life this month, choking ocean waters with thick, slick-forming cyanobacteria blooms in one of nature’s “most amazing phenomena,” according to NOAA

Bioluminescence, a chemical reaction most commonly seen in marine organisms, causes light to emit from living things. When these organisms are moved by waves or the paddle of a kayak or canoe, the light becomes visible. Most marine and land organisms’ bioluminescence appears blue-green, however, some land species, such as fireflies, beetle larvae, and even mushrooms, also glow yellow.  



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