Hong Kong sea glows magical blue

Hong Kong's coastline glows a magical blue at night, but poses a potential toxic risk as it could be the result of water pollution.

Magical blue light on the Hong Kong coast. Photo: AP

"These images are magical. But unfortunately the mysterious blue color is created by toxic Noctiluca algae," Samantha Joye, a researcher at the University of Georgia, USA, said yesterday.

The blue light comes from a bloom of bioluminescent algae called Noctiluca scintillans, which looks and acts like algae, but is actually a single-celled organism that functions as both an animal and a plant, according to AP.

Experts say agricultural pollution has triggered algal blooms. Pollution can destroy marine life and affect fishing operations. It is one of the emerging problems in many areas of the world.

Noctiluca is a single-celled organism that feeds on plankton and is a food source for many other species. Plankton and Noctiluca thrive when nitrogen and phosphorous levels, which come from agricultural runoff, are high.

According to VnExpress