Mystery Ocean Glow Confirmed in Satellite Photo

[n2doc]

The "milk sea" in a composite satellite image, and the region of the ocean where it was spotted. Credit: Steven Miller, NRL

By Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor
posted: 04 October 2005 04:23 pm ET

Mariners have long told of rare nighttime events in which the ocean glows intensely as far as the eye can see in all directions.

Fictionally, such a "milky sea" is encountered by the Nautilus in Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

Scientists don't have a good handle what's going on. But satellite sensors have now provided the first pictures of a milky sea and given new hope to learning more about the elusive events.

The newly released images show a vast region of the Indian Ocean, about the size of Connecticut, glowing three nights in a row. The luminescence was also spotted from a ship in the area.

"The circumstances under which milky seas form is almost entirely unknown," says Steven Miller, a Naval Research Laboratory scientist who led the space-based discovery. "Even the source for the light emission is under debate."

more:
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/051004_sea_glow.html

[hvn_nbr_2]

1. Looks like a Bigfoot embryo!

Sorry. Wrong story. Seriously, thanks. That's pretty interesting.

[DCKit]

2. I watch a lot of CSI - it's the spooge of creation. n/t

[Indenturedebtor]

3. When I was in in Fiji I went spear fishing at night on a remote island reef

At one point I saw a little bioluminescense, but my wife who was watching from the shore said that there were massive swaths of ocean very close to us that were positively radiant.

As I understand it the normal variety is caused largely by diatoms? Could this not be a massive swarm of diatoms or some other bioluminescent tiny critter?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Obviously some sort of plume of bioluminescent beasties.

Quorum sensing on a very large scale.

[ZombieHorde]

5. caused largely by diatoms

Before we examine this subject scientifically, we should jump to supernatural conclusions. This way, we can avoid any critical thinking.

[TaranAlvein]

7. Yes, exactly!

It's a sea-monster, I tells ya! Nessie has gotten loose from her landlocked habitat and is now haunting the Indian Ocean! But just you wait, I'll bag 'er yet! =P

[Realityhack]

8. Diatoms are supernatural?

I agree it is unwise to jump to conclusions but I wouldn't label diatoms as supernatural.

[Posteritatis]

6. Are there any sea-level images of this sort of thing out there? (nt)

[didact]

9. Phosphorus

[Esra Star]

10. Maybe that's where the Chinese dumped

all the urine samples from the Olympics !!