Heatwave is leaving Britain's seas glowing: Hottest summer for decades creates a rare and beautiful phenomenon in ...

Heatwave is leaving Britain's seas glowing: Hottest summer for decades creates a rare and beautiful phenomenon in the UK

• Bioluminescent plankton were spotted off the coast of Port Talbot, Wales 
• Images show the sea glowing blue as millions of plankton lit up like fireflies 
• Recent surge in bioluminescent plankton believed to be caused by heatwave

By Stephanie Linning For Mailonline

Published: 11:25 BST, 23 July 2018 | Updated: 11:46 BST, 23 July 2018

A photographer snapped these stunning images of the sea glowing blue as millions of plankton lit up like fireflies.

Photographer Tim Bow captured the rare natural phenomenon off the coast of Port Talbot, Wales, last week, amidst a spike in the sightings of bioluminescent plankton. 

Scientists believe the phenomenon is the result of plankton being disturbed, causing them to emit light though a complex chemical reaction.

Dazzling: The sea off Port Talbot, Wales, glows blue with the light of bioluminescent fireflies

Supernatural: The plankton emit a blue glow that creates eerie designs in the water

It is thought the recent surge in sightings of bioluminescent plankton has been caused by the heatwave.

Photographer Tim Bow snapped these breathtaking images on Friday night. 

He said: 'Bioluminescent plankton is randomly popping up at different locations around Wales.

Stunning: Residents admire the stunning cobalt blue glow of the plankton in Port Talbot

Disturbed: It is believed the heatwave has caused a spike in the number of sightings

Brilliant: The stunning blue glow lit up the waters of Port Talbot, pictured

'It's been spotted at different locations along the South Wales coast in the past week although it's slightly unpredictable.

'It's believed that the increased sightings are from the high temperatures we have had over the past few weeks warming the waters around the UK.'

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism.

It occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi and microorganisms such as phytoplankton.

Natural phenomenon: Bioluminescence is the emission of light by a living organism

Shimmering seas: Millions of bioluminescent plankton glowed blue under the night sky

What is bioluminescence?  

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism.

It occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi and microorganisms such as phytoplankton.

The word comes from the Greek 'bios' for living and the Latin 'lumen' for light.

Bioluminescence is a type of light energy produced by a chemical reaction.

Different types of animals use bioluminescence in different ways.

Deep sea squid use it for counter illumination camouflage so they match their environmental light, but Anglefish use it to lure prey with a light-up dangling appendage from their head that draws in smaller fish, which they can eat.

Fireflies use bioluminescence to attract mates by flashing their abdomens, while their larvae use it to repel predators.

Millipedes also glow to put predators off of eating them.

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