04/29/2020
BIOLUMINESCENT WAVES near Scripps Pier 4.28.20 ———————————————————————
Canon 6D
24mm L
f/7.1 & f/5.0
ISO 1600
8-sec & 4-sec exposures
2 focal points. 22 lighten layers of waves.
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“There is a bloom of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedra, which is a common member of the plankton community in Southern California. Dinoflagellates use bioluminescence as a predator avoidance behavior. This time the bloom stretches from Baja California to Los Angeles, much larger than usual. Our local red tides can last for days (e.g., May 2018), one to two weeks (Sept. 2013, June 2019), or one or more months (Oct. 2011 and 1995). There is no way to predict how long they will last. While some phytoplankton blooms are stimulated by nutrient runoff, those of Lingulodinium polyedra are associated with relaxed upwelling and stratified water column conditions. While our local bloom does not produce a neurotoxin, swimming is at your own risk as there is enhanced microbial activity.” - Bioluminescence expert Michael Latz, a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
