[新聞] 美國加州也飆「藍眼淚」　

一片漆黑中，這看起來有如另一個星球上的景象，其實是地球海洋的自然現象。美國加州West Linda Mar海灣，33歲的攝影師查爾斯梁(Charles Leung)在一個10月的夜晚拍到了罕見的海景。

就和愈來愈多人知道的馬祖「藍眼淚」一樣，接近海灘處神秘的藍色光芒，是一種「生物螢光」，主要是因為發光的海藻大量繁殖所引發的「赤潮」(Red tide)，海藻運動帶來化學反應，產生了藍光，一般來說，它不是危險的，但已知會造成游泳者和衝浪愛好者在水面活動時，導致呼吸困難。

【小常識】赤潮(Red tide)／維基百科
又叫紅潮，是一種優養化現象。是海洋災害的一種，指海洋水體中某些微小的浮游植物、原生動物或細菌，在一定的環境條件下突發性增殖和聚集，引發一定範圍和一段時間內水體變色現象。赤潮是一個歷史沿用名，並不一定都是紅色，而是許多赤潮的統稱；發生赤潮時，通常根據引發赤潮的生物的數量、種類而使得海洋水體呈紅、黃、綠和褐色等。

The REAL life Contact: Blue 'alien' hue that looks like something out of a sci-fi film appears over California beach

The glow hovering above the ocean is caused by an algae bloom known as a red tide
A chemical reaction caused by the movement of algae turns it neon blue

They may look like a scene from the sci-fi movie Contact but in fact these incredible photos which could have been taken on a different planet are of a Californian beach.

The eerie out-of-this world glow hovering above the ocean is caused by a bioluminescent algae bloom commonly known as a red tide.
But a chemical reaction caused by the movement of the algae turns it neon blue.

Outer space: Photographer Charles Leung captured this rare phenomenon on a pitch-black night at West Linda Mar bay in Pacifica, California

The images are reminiscent of the climatic scene in the film Contact when Jodie Foster's character,
scientist Dr Eleanor Arroway, finds herself on a mysterious, idyllic beach with a sky blazing with stars near the core of the galaxy.

In the film, which was　adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name,　Dr Arroway monitors extraterrestrial life and receives messages from space.

Photographer Charles Leung, 33, was able to capture this rare phenomenon on a pitch-black night at West Linda Mar bay in Pacifica, California.

The glow is not considered dangerous but has been known to cause problems for swimmers and surfers who breath the air close to the surface of the water.

Eerie: These images wouldn't look out of place in the 1997 hit movie Contact which starred Jodie Foster

On a different planet: The blue glow is is known as red tide but when it reacts with algae it turns blue

Out of this world: The glow is not considered dangerous but can cause breathing problems for swimmers

Mr Leung, from San Francisco, said: 'It was so dark to the point that there was a risk of the stars "trailing" as I was forced to use a longer exposure time than I normally use.

'The yellow sky and blue waves sort of remind me of something from an alien planet - the colours actually made a great contrast.

'This unusual 'glow wave' is caused by algae in the water and when disturbed it gives this brilliant fluorescent blue light.

'At night there is an increase in microscopic plankton called dynoflagellates which glow in the dark when disturbed by currents or waves.
'The extraordinary light show of turquoise glowing waves breaking along the shoreline at night is certainly a sight to behold.'

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