Red Tide in San Diego

I just saw this Tweet (AllardPPC) coming over with an article from the NY Times... I had no idea that San Diego has its own form of Red Tide!

Victoria Roberts

Q. Recently, at the San Diego ocean beach at night, we watched light emanating from every wave crest. News reports said it was caused by the red tide. How does it work?

A. The red tide in San Diego this fall was caused by a bloom of billions of a microscopic organism called a dinoflagellate, said Peter J. S. Franks, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography there.

“The particular species, Lingulodinium polyedrum, is bioluminescent — that is, it can make its own light,” Dr. Franks said.

“An enzyme, luciferase, and a substrate, luciferin, are held in tiny bags called vesicles inside the cell,” he said. “When the cell is jostled — for instance, by a breaking wave or a fish swimming by — the bags burst open, and the luciferin and luciferase mix, creating a flash of bluish light. When billions upon billions of these cells are stimulated simultaneously, the flash is bright enough to silhouette surfers on the waves at night.”

While most people saw a blue light, some reported it to be greenish, Dr. Franks said.

“The bioluminescence is thought to be a predator deterrent,” Dr. Franks said. “This could work in two ways. First, the predator might not like eating food that flashes in its mouth. Second, another predator might see the first predator all lit up and come over to eat that predator.”

C. CLAIBORNE RAY