Mosquito Bay: A place to be visited.

I have read a book entitled "100 Things To Do Before Die". It was among the best book that I have encountered. And again, I borrowed it from the Books Lover. Thus, my entry herein, contains the very first thing (as proposed) that (as a scientist) should do! Hahaha.

Imagine a fantastic expirience of swimming in a lake full of Tinkerbells fairy dust! Pure magic, the experience is actually indescribable. Hidden along the Caribbean coast is one of the most spectacular Bioluminescent Bays in the world. The mysterious blue-green light is created by micro-organisms which thrive in an environment uniquely suited to their needs. A trip into the bay on a balmy night is a magical experience. Fish flash by in dark water, and a swim is like floating through stardust. Wah syioknyerrrrrrrrr.

The secret: The water contained tiny dinoflagellates inside that will light up once they are touched! What is dinoflagellates? My dear friends, did you still remember Biology 1 with Madam Rosmarina during the Matriculation?

The bioluminescent dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense are a photosynthesis using plankton. They are one celled and measure about 1/500 th of an inch. The tiny burst of light it gives off is a hundred times bigger than itself. ( Above is merely an artists depiction of the glow) Each dinoflagellete bursts into light when it feels pressure against its cell wall. The light is given off in an instantaneous process; when you add the light bursts of 750,000 dinoflagellates per cubic foot of water together the effect is spectacular!

Almost all marine bioluminescence is (greenish) blue in color, for two related reasons. First, blue-green light (wavelength around 470 nm) transmits furthest in water. The reason that underwater photos usually look blue is because red light is quickly absorbed as you descend. The second reason for bioluminescence to be blue is that most organisms are sensitive only to blue light.

The luminescence of a single dinoflagellate is readily visible to the dark adapted human eye. Most dinoflagellates emit about 6e8 photons in a flash lasting only about 0.1 second. Much larger organisms such as jellyfish emit about 2e11 photons per second for sometimes tens of seconds. The intensity of luminescence by photosynthetic dinoflagellates is strongly influenced by the intensity of sunlight the previous day. The brighter the sunlight the brighter the flash.

The chemical reaction responsible for the production of light bursts begins with a luciferin, a light emitter. This chemical is either acquired through the food chain or synthesized within the organism itself. Different types of organisms use different luciferins for their reactions. There are believed to be about six different types of luciferin molecules. The luciferin reacts with another chemical, called the luciferase, salt and oxygen resulting in a burst of light and water.

Luciferin + Luciferase + Oxygen + Salt ----> Light + Water

Bioluminescence is a primarily marine phenomenon. It is the predominant source of light in the largest fraction of the habitable volume of the earth, the deep ocean .
In contrast, bioluminescence is essentially absent (with a few exceptions) in fresh water, even in Lake Baikal. On land it is most commonly seen in the few families of luminous insects.

Bioluminescence has evolved many times in the sea as evidenced by the several distinct chemical mechanisms by which light is emitted and the large number of only distantly related taxonomic groups that have many bioluminescent members.


ps/ Perhaps, we can propose to our Dean about this place, may be for a field trip to Mosquito Bay. Hahahaa

Reference:
http://www.elenas-vieques.com/bioluminescent.html