Know what exactly is causing the blue tides in coastal Maharashtra

Ratnagiri: It’s not everyday that you see blue tides hitting the beaches, but Ratnagiri town in Konkan for the past few days has been witnessing these waves and have left people surprised and elated.

The waves hitting the beach have a blue hue which is called bioluminescence and made a prominent appearance on Tuesday night Mumbai, Konkan and dakshina Kannada-Udupi coast.

The bloom of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle” are found in the sea when the oxygen levels go down.

Dr Swapnaja Mohite, an expert from a Fisheries institute, Ratnagiri said, “The sudden increase in these aquatic animals could be a sign that the levels of oxygen in the sea are going down, while the carbon dioxide levels are increasing. This also could be an effect of global warming.”

Experts also point out that high temperature, high quantity of organic material, such as sewage and effluents and increased turbulence/wave action of the water, could be one of the reasons behind the blue tide.

Bioluminescence has been an annual occurrence along the west coast since 2016 during the months of November and December. The phenomenon has been observed across India’s coast as well as the coastline of many beaches in the world such as Maldives, Vietnam, Indonesia, USA, Australia and many other countries.