Results of a study into the mysteries of the fabled bioluminescent Blue Tides on Matsu are to be published at the end of this summer, a marine biologist at National Taiwan Ocean University said.
Similar to the Red Tide in the Gulf of Mexico, the Blue Tide of Matsu — also known as “Blue Tears” — is a naturally occurring nighttime phenomenon of blue luminescence that is emitted in the sea near Matsu between April and August. The lights have become a major tourist attraction that drew 10,000 visitors to Lienchiang County last year.
In spite of the Blue Tide’s fame, marine biologists have not identified the species responsible for creating the luminescence, professor of marine environment and ecology Chiang Kuo-ping (蔣國平) said.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
The most widespread hypothesis is that the Blue Tide is a glow emitted by planktons known as dinoflagellates, tiny crustaceans known as ostracods, or ostracods that have devoured glowing flagellate protists, Chiang said.
Chiang said university president Chang Ching-fong (張清風) is sending a research team to Matsu to study the phenomenon and solve the scientific puzzle of its origin.
Chiang’s team has also been tasked with coming up with a way to help predict the occurrence of the Blue Tide, which would help Lienchiang’s tourism industry.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
The team is to begin sampling the Blue Tide by Monday, and then use the university’s labs to conduct DNA tests on the samples, with the goal of identifying the species causing the Blue Tide by the end of August, Chiang said.
Chiang said that he and his team visited the Lienchiang County Government early last month to secure an agreement to conduct its research.
The university plans to use the research findings to build an aquarium that recreates the Blue Tide within the facility during all seasons for tourists, he said.
Because the Min River in China’s Fujian Province empties into the sea near Matsu, Chou Wen-chen (周文成), one of Chiang’s colleagues, is to measure the seas near Matsu to establish the relationship between the ratio of freshwater from the river and saltwater, oceanic temperatures and the occurrence of the Blue Tide, Chiang said.
These observations are needed to understand the timing of the Blue Tide and to predict it accurately, he said.
The team has set up a water-sampling post and equipment in Nangan Township (南竿), and rented fishing boats, Chiang said, adding that the research would gradually increase in scale until it encompasses all of the Matsu islands.
Lienchiang County Commissioner Liu Tseng-ying (劉增應) said he is grateful to the university for its efforts and that he hopes that a scientific understanding of the Blue Tide would help the county’s economic development.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit