What is meant by a Blue tide? How does it affect the marine ecosystem of the country? Examine (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
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aswin 3 years
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IAS Parliament 3 years
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IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
Blue Tide
· The waves appear blue due to the phenomenon is called ‘blue tide’, and appears when luminescent marine life make the sea appear a deep shade of blue.
· The spectacle occurs when phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants), commonly known as dinoflagellates, produce light through chemical reactions in proteins, said researchers.
Bioluminescence
· Waves disturb these unicellular microorganisms and make them release blue light. Bioluminescence is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light. Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence.
· A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light. It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
· Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species. It is an antipredatory response.
· Bioluminescence is assumed to startle predators, causing them to hesitate, in a form of predator intimidation. Another explanation is that bioluminescence helps these organisms gather together and make colonies.
Ecology
· While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishing.
· According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change. Factors such as the pattern of the wind and the temperature of the ocean also determine the occurrence of bioluminescent waves.
· It is a spectacle but in reality, it is an ecological indicator of degraded water quality. The phytoplankton shows up where seawater has low dissolved oxygen and high presence of Nitrogen.
Aradhana Tiwari 3 years
Blue tide is a phenomenon- when luminescent marine life makes the sea appear a deep shade of blue, across coastal areas.
The tide that produces a fluorescent blue hue—"bioluminescence" has been observed across India’s coast - along Maharashtra’s coastline, Goa coast, Dakshina Kannada-Udupi coast, as well as the coastline of many beaches in the world such as Maldives, Vietnam, Indonesia, USA, Australia and many other countries.
>>> Blue tide & its affect on marine ecosystem :-
- The spectacle occurs when phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants), commonly known as dinoflagellates, produce light through chemical reactions in protein. Waves disturb these unicellular microorganisms and makes them release blue light.
- Many of the species in this group are toxic. If dinoflagellates reproduce rapidly, they may cause so-called ‘red tides’ or harmful algal blooms that emits red light.
- During this period all the animals (molluscs, fish, etc.) that feed on dinoflagellates also become toxic due to the accumulation of high amounts of toxins from dinoflagellates.
- Marine scientists said one of the main factors for its occurrence could be eutrophication – the reduction of oxygen in the water – which makes the phytoplanktons very dominant.
- The fewer blue tides would not cause much harm to the local aquatic circle. However, in case these marine plants multiply in number, they can disturb the local ecology. It can ultimately result in the death of fish in the seawater.
>>> Solutions :
- Control light pollution, high quantity of organic material, such as sewage and effluents, especially around beaches.
- Experts point out that high temperature, increased turbulence/wave action of the water, heavy rainfall could be the reasons behind the blue tide.
- Blue tides are an indicator of El Nino effect. This essentially means warmer oceans and increased pace of climate change.
- Therefore, some actions needs to be taken out for above reasons to atleast minimize its occurance.
IAS Parliament 3 years
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Priya sabalkar 3 years
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IAS Parliament 3 years
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Venkateshwaran R 3 years
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IAS Parliament 3 years
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Venkateshwaran R 3 years
