
Sea sparkles! ‘Blue tear’ phenomenon illuminates Chinese coastal waters
Tourists came to Xiamen City to witness the strange natural phenomenon of bioluminescence in the waters off the coastal city, as seen on Thursday.
Known as 'Blue Tears' amongst the tourists, the illuminated waters have attracted much attention on social media with tourists saying they saw them first on TikTok and wished to travel and see for themselves.
"I saw these 'blue tears' on the Internet, they are quite beautiful, just like the bright stars, so I specially came to have a look today," said a tourist.
The 'blue tears' phenomenon is caused by bioluminescent marine life, called 'Noctiluca scintillans' that can be found in many seas around the world. They are revealed only when the water is disturbed.
The phenomenon however can have a harmful effect on marine life.

Tourists came to Xiamen City to witness the strange natural phenomenon of bioluminescence in the waters off the coastal city, as seen on Thursday.
Known as 'Blue Tears' amongst the tourists, the illuminated waters have attracted much attention on social media with tourists saying they saw them first on TikTok and wished to travel and see for themselves.
"I saw these 'blue tears' on the Internet, they are quite beautiful, just like the bright stars, so I specially came to have a look today," said a tourist.
The 'blue tears' phenomenon is caused by bioluminescent marine life, called 'Noctiluca scintillans' that can be found in many seas around the world. They are revealed only when the water is disturbed.
The phenomenon however can have a harmful effect on marine life.