Bioluminescence in Australian Lakes

The Gippsland Lakes in Australia have recently begun a fascinating lightshow. Due to the combination of some massive floods, the lakes suffered an outbreak of the bacteria Synechococcus, which gave the lakes a green tinge. This bacteria bloom had residents and scientists scratching their heads about what to do. And then, the lakes began to change. An algae called Noctiluca scintillans began to populate the lakes, feeding on the Synechococcus. During the day, this algae formed alarming red patches on the surface of the lakes. At night, however, the effect was dramatically different.

Courtesy of philhart.com

Courtesy of philhart.com

This algae created an amazing blue bioluminescence when disturbed at night. Some bloke named Phil Hart took some fascinating photos of the lightshow and explained the story behind the algae on his blog.

I'm not sure what this means for the environmental health of the lakes, but it sure is pretty.

philhart.com via neatorama