CHENNAI: The ECR beaches near Chennai are glowing in blue under dark night skies and the waves just before crashing on the coast are putting up a stunning display. This happens when bioluminescent organisms from deep waters come up to the surface due to certain weather conditions.
Few local residents have captured these beautiful visuals and shared them with TNIE. Two friends Harish Rajagopal and Smitha TK were at the Palavakkam beach at around 8 pm on Tuesday when they observed the waves glowing.
"We noticed the waves glowing in the dark. I have been residing in Chennai for over a decade and while I have noticed the beach sparkle many times, it has never been so evident. The waves were glowing with a blue streak and it looked glorious. This has been happening for the past few days in Thiruvanmiyur and Palavakkam. And the videos don't do justice to the beauty," Smitha said.
Joe K Kizhakudan, scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), told TNIE that there are multiple reasons why beaches glow. It generally occurs due to a phenomenon called "upwelling", an oceanographic condition that brings nutrient-rich waters from the seabed to the surface.
"This pushes millions of diatoms, a kind of algae that has bioluminescent properties. Similarly, it is caused by cyanobacteria as well. The trigger for this would be a sharp shower or change in ocean currents. Most of the time, it is harmless and would last only for a short duration, but when a certain type of cyanobacteria dominates then it would be toxic which would lead to fish kill as it happens in Muthukadu coast," he said.
Experts say this would also be a pollution indicator. The sudden flushing of untreated effluents through bar mouths also stimulates the growth and blooming of phytoplankton.
Again, Muthukadu is the best example, where fish kills are reported once in a while. The Buckingham Canal, which carries sewage generated from the extended parts of south Chennai drains, it into the sea via the Muthukadu estuary leading to algal bloom. This issue was reported by TNIE several times in the past.