Bioluminescence, Mosquito Bay, Vieques, Puerto Rico

Millions of microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates briefly emit a blue light when they are disturbed in the calm waters of Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Mosquito Bay — also known as Puerto Mosquito, Caño Hondo and Bahía Bioluminiscente — is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world with 2.4 million dinoflagellates per gallon of water at the time of this image. The dinoflagellates in Mosquito Bay are Pyrodinium bahamense and are a type of plankton, a subgroup of algae, that are found in Atlantic seawater warmer than 68 °F (20 °C). Mosquito Bay has a number of features that allow these dinoflagellates to exist in record concentrations. First, the bay has a very narrow opening to the Caribbean Sea, so when they are washed into the bay, they tend to get stuck. Mosquito Bay is also lined with mangrove trees, which provide abundant food for the dinoflagellates as they decompose.

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Image Size: 2432x3648 / 2.1MB; https://www.livingwilderness.com/licensing-prints-terms.htm; https://www.livingwilderness.com/licensing-prints.htm; Bahía Bioluminiscente Mosquito Bay Bioluminescent Bay Caño Hondo Puerto Mosquito dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense swirling fire euryhaline tropics tropical Atlantic Ocean Dinoflagellata Vieques bay water night glow glowing blue blue-green light algae plankton bioluminescence bioluminescent Puerto Rico Bahía Mosquito
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Millions of microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates briefly emit a blue light when they are disturbed in the calm waters of Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Mosquito Bay — also known as Puerto Mosquito, Caño Hondo and Bahía Bioluminiscente — is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world with 2.4 million dinoflagellates per gallon of water at the time of this image. The dinoflagellates in Mosquito Bay are Pyrodinium bahamense and are a type of plankton, a subgroup of algae, that are found in Atlantic seawater warmer than 68 °F (20 °C). Mosquito Bay has a number of features that allow these dinoflagellates to exist in record concentrations. First, the bay has a very narrow opening to the Caribbean Sea, so when they are washed into the bay, they tend to get stuck. Mosquito Bay is also lined with mangrove trees, which provide abundant food for the dinoflagellates as they decompose.