Recently, residents in and around Monterey, CA have noticed a beautiful turquoise glow in the Monterey Bay. It’s especially prominent when it’s very sunny. I went down to Fisherman’s Wharf yesterday planning to capture this color in the Bay. It was a partly cloudy day and the color wasn’t as intense as I had seen it a couple days before, and here is the result. Below the image is a discussion by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website on why the Bay is currently that color.
The Turquoise Monterey Bay
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has posted an explanation for this color:
Plankton blooms are nothing unusual in Monterey Bay. In fact, the abundance of plankton fuels the abundant food web that supports everything from anchovies and sardines to the humpback and blue whales that visit each year to feast on the bounty.
But the current bloom, which has turned the bay almost turquoise in recent days, is uncommon.
It’s caused by microscopic plant plankton called coccolithophores. Their relatives have been around since the Triassic Period, dating back 200 million to 250 million years.
Addendum: The reflection of light on the white calcium scales that are only three one-thousandths of a millimeter in diameter are allowing this beautiful color – more like the Caribbean where the light is reflected through clear water form the white corals and white sand.