A viral photograph of a tourist covered in bioluminescent algae and glowing a fluorescent blue on the Matsu islands has sparked debate over whether such actions harm the environment.
The photo was originally posted online on May 17 by Chou Chih-hsiao (周治孝), a resident of Lienchiang County’s Beigan Township (北竿) who runs a Facebook group devoted to the luminescent phenomenon, which is known locally as “blue tears.”
Chou said he had achieved the effect in the photo by splashing large amounts of algae-laden seawater onto the subject, and then quickly taking a picture before it washed back into the sea.
Photo courtesy of Chou Chih-hsiao via CNA
Lin Wen-fu (林文福), a bed-and-breakfast owner on the county’s Dongju Island (東莒島), said there had been a massive algal bloom from May 14 to Wednesday last week.
Chiang Kuo-ping (蔣國平), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University’s Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, on Tuesday played down both concerns.
The phenomenon occurs annually between March and early July, when the Min River in China dumps large amounts of silicates into the waters around the Matsu islands, he said.
This influx of silicates creates an explosion in the population of microalgae called diatoms, and in turn, the Noctiluca scintillans algae that feed on them, Chiang said, adding that the bioluminescence is caused when the algae is disturbed.
The silicates that prompt N. scintillans blooms often come from land-based sand rather than pollutants, and the “blue tear” phenomenon is relatively “normal” in areas with turbid, nutrient-dense waters, Chiang said.
He said the vast majority of the algae captured in photos such as Chou’s flow right back into the sea, so the impact “is not very large.”
TRAGEDY: An expert said that the incident was uncommon as the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into an IDF engine was ‘minuscule’ A master sergeant yesterday morning died after she was sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer, surnamed Hu (胡), was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was pulled into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but could not be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS