About two years ago a hauntingly beautiful phenomenon illuminated the Gippsland Lakes in Australia. This phenomenon created some breathtaking, unforgettable and unique scenes. The cause of this mystery is an unusually high concentration of so called Noctiluca scintillans, a bio-luminescent microorganism, caused a bright ethereal blue glow in the water. Australian photographer Phil Hart documented this mystery shooting some wonderful photos.
Noctiluca scintillans are a species of dinoflagellate that feed on algae, plankton and bacteria. These scintillans are also known as “sea sparkles”, “sea fires”, “sea ghosts” and many other symbolic names. In December 2008, a high concentration of blue-green algae called Synechococcus caused a higher-than-usual population of Noctiluca scintillans in the Australian Gippsland Lakes.
When the photographer embarked on his annual journey to the lakes, he discovered a blue luminescence in the water unlike anything he had ever seen before. Scintillans uses its bio-luminescence like a sort of defense mechanism, lighting up when a possible predator is coming near. This is a very clever defense system because the ghostly blue glow attracts even larger predators to eat the first predator, keeping the Noctiluca scintillans safe to glow another day.
Phil Hart used the working of the Noctiluca scintillans defense mechanism to make some great and intriguing photographs using a long exposure on his camera. he created splashes in the water to light up and spread the bio-luminescent organisms around. In other photos sand and pebbles were thrown into the water to activate the glow making photos with a fast lens.
The photographer expressed that it’s highly unusual to see this concentration of bio-luminescent organisms anywhere in the world. The magical event definitely is a breathtaking display of nature’s unexpected and mystical beauty.