Our planet never ceases to amaze us with unusual and sometimes mysterious natural phenomena. Bioluminescence is a chemical reaction of living organisms that produce bright blue light in the dark. It looks amazing and even frightening.
The phenomenon has been known for a long time and was mentioned even in ancient literature. There is a description that Christopher Columbus made in 1492 - during his journey to the shores of future America. The sailors and the famous traveler himself were fascinated and at the same time frightened when bright blue lights began to appear from under the water in the dark. The frightened sailors decided that these were the fires of the underworld and decided to get away from the mystical lake.
Only after many years was there a completely real explanation for this miraculous phenomenon. Light from under the water is produced by microscopic organisms called nightlights or Noctiluca scintillans.
Noctiluca scintillans.
One of the most striking habitats of nightlights is the 600 square kilometers Gippsland Lake Chain, which is located in southern Victoria, Australia. Lakes Gippsland is inhabited by a huge number of these creatures and the favorable environment promotes bioluminescence. It is believed that here, as a result of cataclysms - volcanic eruptions and floods - a large amount of nutrients get into the water of the lakes, therefore, night lights actively reproduce, filling more and more space and their light can be seen not only at night, but with any movement of the water.
Photo by Phil Hart from Lake Gippsland.
The most active growth of these creatures in Lake Gippsland was recorded in 2008. After the flooding, a lot of blue-green algae appeared in the lakes - a favorite delicacy of nightlights. After eating, the night lights began to multiply 10 times faster. For several months, this species has filled every millimeter of the Gippsland lake chain.
Photographer Phil Hart showed what the invasion of these organisms is fraught with. During the day, with any movement of the water, they began to glow. Hart annoyed the nightlight with stones and dived into the water himself and photographed this unique phenomenon. This photographer turned out to be extremely lucky - many, commenting on the photos he took, said that there had never been such a "death of light" on the lake before.
Promotional video:
Photo by Phil Hart from Lake Gippsland.
The night lights turned out to be so gluttonous that they destroyed all the blue-green algae quickly enough. By mid-2009, the population of these microorganisms in Lake Gippsland decreased several times.
It is interesting that the phenomenon itself is known in other places - in general, in many places - both in the seas and in the oceans. For a long time such a phenomenon has been observed on the Black Sea coast - but, apparently, not on such a scale. Although there are legends that speak of the "historical scale" of night lights and their real impact on historical events.
Night lights in the Maldives.
It is said that more than 2500 years ago, during the time of Taurida, the Greeks tried to seize part of the coast of the present-day Crimea, recapturing it from the local Tauris. Having chosen a moonless night, they wanted to swim unnoticed and begin hostilities, but unexpectedly for themselves they were noticed from the shore. The reason was precisely the night lights - they highlighted the ships, reacting to the movements of the oars.
Bioluminescence is not only a phenomenon characteristic of freshwater and marine life. The neon glow can also be found on land.
* Tunnel of fireflies * in Helensburg.
Not far from the city of Helensburg in Australia there is one interesting attraction - the "Firefly Tunnel". These are old abandoned railroad tunnels that were opened in 1888 and decommissioned in 1915. As you know, nature leaves no choice to the creation of human hands if it ceases to be needed by its creator. The forest gradually took over the tunnels, outside the walls were overgrown with grass and moss, trees and flowers made their way through the railway tracks, and a colony of incredible creations of nature - fireflies - mastered the vaults. At night, their neon light illuminates the tunnels like a thousand bulbs.
* Tunnel of fireflies * in Helensburg.
If you are not afraid of dampness and puddles and take the risk of walking through the abandoned tunnels, you can admire the unique natural phenomenon and feel the fabulous and mystical atmosphere of the old railway.
A unique attraction near Helenburg attracts not only tourists, but also scientists who want to fully understand the secret of bioluminescence, because not all similar cases have been studied in detail.
