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Earth Science

Glowing Blue Waves Lighting Up SoCal Coastline Roll Into the South Bay (latimes.com) 43

Crashing waves emitting a flash of neon blue have lit up darkened stretches of Southern California's coastline this month, most recently making an appearance in the South Bay. From a report: The sporadic phenomenon -- sometimes called sea sparkle -- is something scientists have been studying for 120 years. It's associated with a red tide, or an algae bloom, made up of organisms called dinoflagellates. These tiny single-celled organisms are common members of the coastal plankton community that float on or near the ocean's surface and can emit bioluminescence, most commonly when they're grabbed by a predator. The light acts to startle their attacker, according to Michael Latz, a marine biologist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Occasionally, the organisms are found in high concentrations, resulting in red tides and known for giving the ocean water a deep red, brown or orange hue during the day. At night, they can put on a truly spectacular show when jostled by a crashing wave or the wake of a boat. Red tides are difficult to predict, and not all of them produce bioluminescence. Scientists still aren't sure about all the factors that lead to them, Latz said.

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Glowing Blue Waves Lighting Up SoCal Coastline Roll Into the South Bay

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  • I blame 5G (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30, 2020 @11:28AM (#60007856)

    I don't how, or why, but in my Gut I know 5G is the cause

  • by Xest ( 935314 ) on Thursday April 30, 2020 @11:29AM (#60007860)

    I don't think I've been diving anywhere in the world where, if you turn off your lights on a night dive, you can't see algae glow if you kick your fins or move your hand through the water to at least some degree.

    We've done a few lights off night dives where we just followed the glow in the water each time the diver in front kicked their fins and disturbed them. Jellyfish and pelagic tunicates are also a common sight in this respect, as are squid, cuttlefish, and ostracods that can also display bioluminescence.

    Nonetheless, it is pretty spectacular when you get sufficient concentrations of algae crashing on the shore so as to see the waves themselves glow blue. A lot of divers don't seem to enjoy night dives, I'm not sure why; diving in the day especially on reefs is spectacular, but night dives are just otherworldly and a completely different ball game; the things that float in the water column alone are just so alien:

    https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]

    • by Lonng_Time_Lurker ( 6285236 ) on Thursday April 30, 2020 @01:30PM (#60008254)

      Come on, don't be so purposefully obtuse.

      People don't like night diving because dark, scary, night sharks, not being able to see, imagination, losing the boat, etc. etc.

      Obviously not much of it is rational but our modern day fear of the dark generally isn't.

      I used to have to decompress at the end of long tech dives - sitting for an hour on the oxygen bar while night sets in, and you're by yourself, and you're sitting in the open ocean, and a few meters above you is a happy boat with whiskey on board, it does mess with your mind.

      • by Xest ( 935314 ) on Thursday April 30, 2020 @02:48PM (#60008466)

        It's not so much that, most divers I've dived with are happy to do a night dive, they just generally choose not to bother. If you're on a week or two week long liveaboard where there's 4 dives a day, 3 in the day, 1 at night, then it's not uncommon to find everyone do all 4 dives on the first day or so, but then do all 3 day dives, and only 1 or two of the 7 - 14 night dives available over the rest of the trip.

        I think it's mostly just that people can't be arsed to do the 4th dive of the day if anything, but as I say I just find that surprising, because it's nearly always the most spectacular. Personally I actually often feel much more comfortable night diving, I find I'm more relaxed than ever, my air consumption is always at it's best and my dives always longest at night, I just find my heart rate slows significantly more for whatever reason on night dives, and it sets me up nicely for a good night's sleep afterwards.

        Don't get me wrong, I hear what you're saying; even during day dives if you're doing a deco stop in open water, especially if there are large waves on the surface or awkward currents, it can certainly be a bit disorientating, especially if a shark comes to see what you're all about, or if a large barracuda starts staring at you like it's sat there waiting for you to fuck up so it can take a chunk out of you. Similarly there have been plenty of other circumstances where I've felt uncomfortable and a bit unnerved - strong downcurrents for example pushing you deeper and making it hard to ascend, and I've had the odd wreck dive where I've felt just a little bit too claustrophobic (despite never suffering from claustrophobia normally). Ultimately though I just feel that paying a lot of money and spending many hours travelling to get somewhere like Raja Ampat to not bother with all the night dives feels a bit like buying a Ferrari and then using it for nothing other than the 30mph max local school run - you just end up missing the best bit about it.

    • by PPH ( 736903 )

      Must be a bitch if you are trying to sneak around in a nuclear missile sub.

  • by nnet ( 20306 )
    We are not alone.
  • Too bad no one can see the effect, its pretty awesome. They can't see it because the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is throwing a hissy fit because people went to the beach recently. People largely social distanced. Those who didn't were often families. So Newsom closed all beaches statewide.
    • The key thing is that they are "People largely social distanced."... Meaning a lot do not.
      Also for beaches it is the case of these germ filled kids, who will come up play with stranger kids.

      Beaches are a rather social areas even with adults keeping a good distance, their kids are carrier who will spread problems.

      • Orange County is at just 14 deaths per million [latimes.com] from the virus. One of the lowest in the world, much less the country and state (the U.S. is at 188, California 50). We're probably doing our job social distancing better than you are.

        I'm actually worried we're doing too good a job, as the low death and infection rate means the vast majority of people here are still vulnerable to the virus. New York, for all the hardships it's endured, will largely be immune to subsequent waves of the virus due to herd im
        • Yes but (Score:2, Insightful)

          by bussdriver ( 620565 )

          When you have a silent disease that kills people on time delay which is very contagious, and a lack of testing it's impossible to confidently control the infection rate.

          Then you have the fact that some people can not be saved no matter what is done for them until we have a better understanding. Even if that is an acceptable death rate, nobody wants it to be them. People with a brain and fear of losing somebody close to them still will change their behavior; some people will want to protect strangers... The

          • Responsible leaders who actually care will be haunted by the deaths that they may have been able to prevent

            Except for people not receiving proper care because hospitals are overwhelmed, there are no avoidable deaths. Flattening the curve does *not* change the number of infected, the numerator, it only change the *timeframe* of being infected. Stretching it out over a longer period so the hospitals are not overwhelmed.

            This is the reality until a vaccine is developed. Only vaccines *prevent*, social distancing only "slows" the rate of infection, it does not stop infections.

            • Except for people not receiving proper care because hospitals are overwhelmed

              People are not receiving proper care because the only care available is emergency care. The hospitals are not overwhelmed. The hospitals are, in fact, laying people off.

              But go on, keep repeating the Democrat talking points. Once upon a time if you told a lie often enough it would magically become true, but apparently you havent noticed the 0% success rate over the past 6 years.

              • - People are avoiding elective care because they don't want to risk getting Coronavirus by visiting a hospital treating COVID-19 patients.
                - Medical professionals that normally provide that elective care but not treating COVID-19 patients are getting laid off due to lack of work.
                - There are some promising treatments being trialed that could reduce the symptoms of infection and increase survivorship.
                - Population without acquired immunity is at risk until they acquire immunity.
                - If you are at risk your bes
              • by drnb ( 2434720 )
                LOL -- you really need to re-read, especially the GP's comment about preventable deaths. Now keeping the word "prevent" in mind re-read what I wrote.
            • More time = more data = higher survival; aside from more ventilators.

              The most obvious example is that a % will die WITH proper care and just think of those who die months before a vaccine because they were infected earlier than necessary!

              Corners are being cut *before* actual overloading happens which increases risk of death; priorities are being shifted and people are dying indirectly in preventable situations.

              Remember, age range data has been revised. Diabetics who were rationing their insulin have to stop

        • by PPH ( 736903 )

          Orange County is at just 14 deaths per million [latimes.com] from the virus.

          That's for the last 7 day period. Washington State has had just under 100 deaths per million since the start of the pandemic. The weekly death rate is pretty low right now (perhaps lower than 14/mill). I can't be bothered to straighten out the state's XLS spreadsheet, which looks like it was designed by a grade-schooler.

      • by drnb ( 2434720 )

        The key thing is that they are "People largely social distanced."... Meaning a lot do not.

        People living together do not need to socially distance. Its even explicitly stated as an exception in California.

        Also for beaches it is the case of these germ filled kids, who will come up play with stranger kids. Beaches are a rather social areas even with adults keeping a good distance, their kids are carrier who will spread problems.

        Nope, people are largely socially distancing and that includes keeping small kids from engaging as you describe.

        • Nope, people are largely socially distancing and that includes keeping small kids from engaging as you describe.

          I manage a property at the beach. I had to fix a mailbox lock there the day before yesterday. Many people on Ocean Front Walk (the "boardwalk" behind the seawall) were doing a respectable job of keeping apart. But way too many people weren't. In the evening they were all looking at the cool bioluminescence from algae we're getting as reported in the media. Many of the non-locals who drove in from the inland communities were either doing an inadequate job of social isolation, or simply didn't care, or eve

    • by barakn ( 641218 )

      You must have been really busy monitoring the action of every single person on every beach in California. Thank goodness you were able to ascertain that social distancing was occurring... largely. I feel safer knowing you're out there, keeping watch.

    • I saw a picture of this that a friend took. Didn't even think about the lockdown issue. Is there a hotline I can call to report them for breaking quarantine? They may have had a view from their house, but bsts these days, right?
  • Editor forgot to include the links and quotes about how this is GCE related. Next time do better.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I recall a spectacular event on Zuma Beach, Malibu circa 1964-65. Walking in the wet sand gave explosions of blue light around my feet. A handful of sand thrown toward the water was like magic wand fairy sparkles. During that time, and again a few years later, I recall a number of episodes where ugly smelly red tides were offshore for weeks at a time, with no luminescence. Permanent signs were in place all along the beaches, warning against taking and eating clams and mussels.
  • Longer dolphin video (Score:5, Informative)

    by Solandri ( 704621 ) on Thursday April 30, 2020 @12:04PM (#60007968)
    Without the reporters talking over it. It's quite magical [youtu.be].

    Go to this fishing site [tempbreak.com] and switch the second drop-down to 8-day chloro. That's an average of the last 8 days of satellite ocean chlorophyll readings. Normally the chlorophyll (algae) levels are blue to green. I've only ever seen small orange/red patches before. Never extending from Baja up the entire Southern California coast.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • "Neon blue"? "Journalists," as usual, are ignoramuses. Neon plasma discharge is reddish, not blue.

An authority is a person who can tell you more about something than you really care to know.

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