China's Stunning 'Blue Tears' Plankton Blooms Are Spreading

• 06.17.2019, 16:22
•  Asia,  World

Glowing blooms of 'blue tears' are taking over the coastal waters around China. 

The first-ever satellite study of breathtaking bioluminescent plankton called red Noctiluca scintillans has revealed that outbreaks have grown in recent years, suggesting they're hardier than previously assumed, ''The Daily Mail'' reports. 

The tiny organisms, also known as sea sparkles, light up the East China Sea at night with an eerie blue glow, which occurs when they're disturbed by movement in the water.

But, they're also known to be toxic.

Satellite observations from 2000 to 2017 show the blooms extend farther from the shore and into warmer waters than expected, and appear to have become more abundant in the past few years.