The “sea sparkle” has been witnessing Karnataka coast since about a month.
What is sea sparkle?
The bloom of NoctilucaScintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle”.
The bioluminescent Noctiluca Scintillansalso brightened the sea water during night.
The toxic blooms of Scintillanswere linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills.
What is the concern?
It has displaced microscopic algae called diatoms, which form the basis of the marine food chain.
This has deprived food for the planktivorous fish.
How it kills the organisms?
The species does not produce a toxin, it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into the surrounding waters, possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
The ammonia makes Scintillansunpalatable for most creatures.
Plankton bloom
Plankton bloom was reported when the density of plankton would be more than 1,00,000 cells per m3.
What is Bioluminescence?
It is the production and emission of light by a living organism and occurs due to a chemical reaction, involving a light-emitting molecule and an enzyme, called luciferin and luciferase.
