Gifts of Light

Plankton are back in the frame for one more blog entry.

Yesterday, one of the plankton samples I looked at was a ctenophore. I posted a link about it. Here is another link about these remarkable organisms. Today, I watched ctenophores in action in an aquarium at the Bonne Bay Aquarium and Research Station. The tank is designated for them and it is relatively dark, which makes it all the more spectacular when they seem to light up with a rainbow of colours. What is actually happening is that their cilia are refracting light. 

It took a bit of time for me to figure out how to photograph these little ones because it was so dark. I managed to get some not-too-bad shots. You have to look really carefully to see them. They resemble jellyfish, although they are not related to them.

Of course, I couldn't resist making a video. You can find the video here. You will be able to see the light show if you watch it.

Bioluminescence

Ever since I first came here for the artist residency, I have heard about the bioluminescent phytoplankton that put on a light show in the water at night. I had never managed to see this phenomenon until last night.

I was just finishing up my blog entry when Bob, the head of the Marine Station, called to invite me to join a group of visiting grad students who were having a fire on the beach. The fire ban had finally been lifted and they were celebrating. Shortly after I joined them on the beach, one of the students mentioned that she saw bioluminescence when she threw a stone into the water. Often, disturbing the water can cause the phytoplankton (actually, it is the bacteria inside of the plankton) to light up. In the end, we got a light show without having to throw stones. There is an article about this phenomenon here, but the photos are very misleading. I was expecting something dramatic like those photos, but that isn't what it looked like at all.

What it looked like was fireflies in the water. It was the same kind of pinpoint flashing that fireflies do. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see the flashing all over the water. It wasn't dramatic and showy. It was beautiful and delicate, signals of light. A student and I stood together and expressed that the emotions we felt most strongly while watching this were gratitude and wonder.

I couldn't photograph the bioluminescence so here's a picture of the fire.