Why do the waters of the California coast turn red during the day and are illuminated with blue light at night

A red tide has come into the waters off the coast of California. During the day, the 25-kilometer coastal strip turns red, and the real magic comes with the onset of darkness. At night, photographers and just beauty lovers flock to California beaches to admire the fantastic glow of the waves.

The natural phenomenon is explained by the blooming of bioluminescent algae — dinoflagellates, red tiny organisms that give the water a reddish color during the day and illuminate the waves at night. Moreover, the red tide is best seen when the sun is overhead between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. And at night, any movement of water causes the dinoflagellates to emit a glow.

Source: Mashable

A post shared by Sun (@sun_csw) on May 13, 2018 at 12:44am PDT

A post shared by Sun (@sun_csw) on May 13, 2018 at 12:44am PDTThe last time the red tides were in 2013.

It is not yet known how long the algae bloom will last and how far it will spread. According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at high tide, the concentration of floating red organisms can reach 20 million per liter. The blue glow occurs when an enzyme and a protein are combined, which are contained in algae. But scientists have not found out why organisms glow.

A post shared by California Photographers Group (@calphotographers) on May 11, 2018 at 9:03pm PDT

A post shared by California Photographers Group (@calphotographers) on May 11, 2018 at 9:03pm PDTAccording to one theory, algae need the glow to scare off the main enemy in the water — zooplankton, small crustaceans.

Others believe that the glow attracts fish, which, in turn, should eat this zooplankton.

A post shared by California Photographers Group (@calphotographers) on May 11, 2018 at 9:06pm PDT

A post shared by California Photographers Group (@calphotographers) on May 11, 2018 at 9:06pm PDTIn the photo, the dinoflagellate is under a microscope.

Природный феномен красных приливов — явление непредсказуемое и его чрезвычайно сложно изучать, рассказал эксперт по биолюминесценции, ученый Института океанографии Скриппса Майкл Латц. Но сейчас специалистам вновь представилась возможность исследовать феномен.

A post shared by David Jodye (@davidjodye) on May 9, 2018 at 9:13pm PDT

A post shared by David Jodye (@davidjodye) on May 9, 2018 at 9:13pm PDTThe mechanism of the glow itself is also not fully understood, but scientists at the Scripps Institute, after research in the laboratory, found that every microorganism that receives a sufficient shock wave lights up for one tenth of a second.

A post shared by Abe Kislevitz (@abekislevitz) on May 9, 2018 at 11:27am PDT

A post shared by Abe Kislevitz (@abekislevitz) on May 9, 2018 at 11:27am PDTA post shared by Kat brogdon (@katbrogdon) on May 13, 2018 at 7:32pm PDT

A post shared by Kat brogdon (@katbrogdon) on May 13, 2018 at 7:32pm PDT