Sea Sparkle

Sea sparkle (Noctiluca scintillans) is a single-celled, flagellated dinoflagellate of the family Noctilucaceae in the phylum Myzozoa, spheroid in shape and ranging from 400 to 1,500 micrometers long, occurring in red and green color forms depending on the pigmentation of its vacuoles. It is found worldwide in temperate, subtropical, and tropical seas, especially near coastlines. Its name, from Latin for light at night, reflects its bioluminescence, a bright blue glow produced at night by a reaction between luciferin and luciferase in structures called scintillons. Large blooms of the species can cause so-called red tides that deplete oxygen and disrupt marine ecosystems, though the organism itself produces no toxins.