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.

Mysterious blue light on 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.

According to AP, the blue light comes from an explosion of bioluminescent algae, Noctiluca scintillans. It looks like algae and acts like algae, but in fact it is a single-celled organism that functions as both an animal and a plant.

Experts say agricultural pollution has triggered algal blooms. Pollution can destroy marine life and affect fishing operations. This 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