The waves of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/juhu-beach-all" target="_blank">Juhu</a> beach took on a fluorescent blue hue on Tuesday night, delighting several nightwalkers and revellers. The rare phenomenon, described as bioluminescence, is the second of its kind to be seen along the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/mumbai" target="_blank">Mumbai</a> coast. Bioluminescence is basically the production and emission of light by living marine organisms.
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Why the blue hue?
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Microorganisms called phytoplankton have the ability to produce their own light. When the waves crash on the beach disturbing these unicellular organisms, they emit a neon blue light which makes the waves glow. This phenomenon is often called &lsquo;blue tide.&rsquo; Many marine organisms like bacteria, algae, jellyfish have bioluminescent properties.
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Is it a common sight in India?
<img title="blue tide juhu" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2020/nov/Juhu-BeachB.jpg" alt="blue tide juhu" />
Image sourced from mid-day archives
As per <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/mumbai-beach-blue-tide-bioluminescence-explained-7070203/?utm_campaign=fullarticle&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=inshorts" target="_blank">Indian Express</a>, bioluminescence has been an annual occurrence along the west coast of India since 2016 in the months of November and December. It has occurred on the Juhu beach a few times. Other parts like, Goa, coastal Karnataka, Ratnagiri have also experience bioluminescence in the past.
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What does it mean?
While it looks delightful, environmentalists say that it a sign of climate change. Gurudas Nulkar, trustee of Ecology Society and professor at Symbiosis International University told Indian Express that &ldquo;It is a spectacle but in reality, it is an ecological indicator of degraded water quality. The phytoplankton shows up where seawater has low dissolved oxygen and high presence of Nitrogen.&rdquo;
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While it looks delightful, environmentalists say that bioluminescent waves are a sign of climate change 

Mumbai: Rare bioluminescent waves at Juhu beach explained

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Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article / Mumbai: Rare bioluminescent waves at Juhu beach explained

Mumbai: Rare bioluminescent waves at Juhu beach explained

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