June 10, 2024

Arielle Nguyen 

10th Grade

Fountain Valley High School

If you live on the Western Coast of the United States, you’ve probably heard of (or, if you’re lucky enough, seen) the bioluminescent sea shuffling up on beach’s shores. 

Have you seen that bright, neon blue wave wash onto the sand? Or, more commonly, seen a firefly during the night? The phenomenon is known as bioluminescence, a type of light that seems to have been sparked from science fiction rather than reality. It’s not too common on land, more in the ocean’s pelagic zone — an ecological terrain that includes the entire ocean water column, from the Epipelagic to the Hadopelagic; the highest and lowest zones. Typically, it’s frequent amongst fish, squid, and animals that are mostly made of water; all of which live between 200 and 1,000 meters of depth in the ocean. 

Bioluminescence is a chemical reaction, or chemiluminescence, that produces light within a living organism. Two chemicals, luciferin and either luciferase or photoprotein create a chemical reaction within the organism. The resulting color comes from the luciferin molecules’ arrangement. 

Some organisms can synthesize luciferin independently, but others usually get this chemical by eating organisms with the substance. For example, dinoflagellates are a type of plankton that synthesize the enzyme whereas a few species of midshipman fish obtain luciferin through tiny shrimp.

So how does bioluminescence receive its “trademark” blue color? Well, for starters, it’s not always blue. When luciferin and luciferase react with oxygen, the two chemicals produce a light that can range from red to greenish-yellow to violet. In the ocean, however, it’s bluish-green because these types of light wavelengths travel best through water. Additionally, organisms carrying the luciferin enzyme use the chemical reaction differently, which can result in different color variations. 

Currently, there haven’t been reports of bioluminescence depicted as a harmful factor in our ecosystem. Most often, it can be used to attract prey. For example, anglerfish reside in the midnight zone, or the bathypelagic zone, the darkest area of the ocean. Anglerfish have a bioluminescent lure dangling in front of their mouths. Do you know how moths are attracted to light? It’s very similar to how smaller fish and other animals are drawn to this fish’s lures, allowing the anglerfish to consume them. In addition to attracting prey, the glow can potentially scare off predators.

Furthermore, some scientists believe that bioluminescence is a means of communication for deep-sea animals, typically for purposes of mating. However, little research has been established because researchers need bright lights to see animals in the dark waters. The sudden shine can be seen as a threat, scaring away these entities. 

Again, bioluminescence is occurring on the coast all over the states, people! Seeing the glow in the ocean is definitely on my bucket list. Now, if only it wasn’t toxic.