WATCH: Bioluminescence lights up Karachi's beach in blue

KARACHI: A rare and spectacular phenomenon — bioluminescence took place in Karachi’s waters last night (Monday) lighting up the beach in blue.

The breathtaking blue colour sparkling in the waves crashing up on the shore offered a magical spectacle at one of the beaches in the port city.

Nighttime bioluminescence, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan Technical Adviser Moazzam Khan, is a chemical process in which organisms present in the seawater emit light.

“Noctiluca scintillans caused the blue sparkle in Karachi’s sea,” Khan told Geo News.

He said that this marine species is also called “sea fire” or “sea twinkle”, which is even smaller than mustard seeds in size. However, its presence in the sea is a sign of the richness of the sea.

The ethereal azure lighting up the waves in a dark sea looks mesmerising at night. However, the organism is of green colour when seen in the daytime.

These are marine species of phytoplankton that can be found in coastal environments across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.