why does seaweed glow at night when you step on it at the texas coast?

Answer 1

What kind of weed have you been smoking? If sea weed glowed in the dark the ocean would light the earth and there would never be a night.

Answer 2

Glowing Seaweed

Answer 3

bioluminescense of this type at the beach is a beautiful phenomenon all around the earth. It is due to some microscopic phyto (plant) plankton called dinoflaggellates (protist, unicellular flagellated algae) that are responsible for the RED TIDES. When there are huge dinoflaggelate blooms in the water during specifc env conditions, the huge dinoflagellate population actually makes the water a brownish red during the day. It may even kill fish (chokes out the oxygen availability) and lots of dead fish float on the water. All this of course can make the smell rather unpleasant, but the bioluminescent glowing at night is very pretty.Even if you walk barefoot on the wet sand at night you can see glowing footprints from the microscopic plankton there in the wet sand. Waves at night glow in the dark too! If you are at the marina or on a boat at night and peek into the water and watch fish darting about during red tides you can see the bioluminescence too. Even aggitating the water (dinoflagellates) with your oar while rowing can make the bioluminescence be activated. But be forewarned, in CA (and other parts of the year)the months of the year that have the letter R in their name are reported to usually be the months that it is not safe to eat bivalves. Bivalves are filterfeeders and the huge plankton bloom of dinoflagellates get stuck in their gills as the bivalves filterfeed and get the gills all clogged. People have been known to get real sick and or even die from eating the contaminated shellfish. Some species of dinoflagellates are more toxic than others. Signs are posted all over California coastal areas warning about this, esp at the marinas. In fact, a whole beach of soldiers camping on a beach just before battle have been recorded in history as having lost their battle and died from the shellfish poisoning due to dinoflaggellate infected clams-mussels-oysters. It is not true "pollution" per se with toxic chemicals, but a huge magnification of the dinoflaggellates that had a spike in their population growth. Look up the genera Noctiluca and Ceratium to find out about some specific kinds of dinoflaggellates. There are many more genera and species of course. Ciguatera is the most famous and the most toxic form on earth, however, a tropical species, but a very pretty site at night. Seaweed glows because it has lots of microscopic dinoflagellate cells on them. When agitated-moved, the light reaction-bioluminescense happens.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
why does seaweed glow at night when you step on it at the texas coast?

Answer 5

All I know is I just walked down on the beach and there was a big pile of seaweed right there coming down from the boardwalk and when I stepped on it it looked like hundred off green fireflies.so I ran around the beach stepping on every piece of seaweed a th just made my day. Nature is preety ******* awesome and we really need to stop destroying it.

Answer 6

Thaibaby, Of course this does not happen on any other coast except the Texas coast on the Gulf of Mexico. It is because the state of Texas is radioactive and full of sh-t from the Bush family having lived and governed there.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

It has obviously nothing to do with radioactivity.
I think you have hit upon nature's wonder.
This must br a protozoan called noctiluca.
It gives out light when disturbed.
Just to confirm this you can collect some water, and see in dark (at home) if it glows when disturbed.

Answer 9

Phytosynthesis...have an enzyme called luciferase that cause the cells to emit light when distrubed...same as lightening bugs, etc. Step on sand on the beach and it looks like lightening running away from your feet. IT is a wild experience.

Answer 10

It is not actually the seaweed .. it is most likely covered with a photo-active plankton. I have seen the waters in the gulf aglow with it once and yes, it does "flare up" when disturbed.