Sunday, August 26, 2012

That Mysterious Glowing Water at River Ryan May not be so Mysterious Afterall

Nothing overly exciting ever happens in the small town where I live but when something does, word spreads fast and crowds quickly gather to be a part of whatever is happening.

These past two weeks, something strange has been happening in the water near the bridge in River Ryan, Nova Scotia, not far from where I live. I noticed a large crowd gathered in the area one evening on my way home but didn't bother to stop mainly because there wasn't really anywhere to park. Now keep in mind that this is a fairly remote area with a small population and crowds this large rarely gather. Something was happening and it wasn't until I got home that I found out what and even than, the explanation I was given was vague.

Apparently, someone had discovered that when rocks (or people as a few daring souls demonstrated) were thrown into the water or the water was disturbed in any way near the bridge, it turned a bright, glowing blue. Whoever made this discovery certainly didn't waste any time spreading the word because when I returned the next night to witness the phenomenon myself, there were even more cars than there were the night before! It took more than a half hour to push through the traffic on the bridge and a lineup of cars was backed up for about a mile. I managed to squeeze into a spot not too far away and made my way to the crowd gathered near the shore to see this glowing blue water for myself.

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first and thought the claims about the water were probably exaggerated but, lo and behold, with each rock that was tossed into the water, it turned a bright, glowing blue! Hundreds of people were tossing any rocks they could find into the water. By the time I left, there was hardly a rock left in the area and it became evident that I would have a problem when I returned the next night with my camera to try and document what had become the famous glowing water of Lingan Bay; a shortage of rocks. This problem was easily solved the next night when I decided to return; I recruited a small group of friends to help me fill the trunk of the car with rocks.

That third night, there were even more people crowded by the bridge than the two nights prior except, no one was throwing any rocks because there were none left. Fortunately, a light rain shower was leaving enough disturbance in the water to provide onlookers with a spectacular show which was made even more spectacular when the only people with large rocks arrived and tossed them into the bay. Unfortunately, my camera was unable to pick up the glow and I didn't get any pictures. I was, however, quite intrigued by the discussions people were having about the strange glow and what they thought it might be. I heard everything from an alien life form had taken up residence in the water, some meteorite dust leftover from the Perseids Meteor Shower that had occurred only a few nights before had fallen over the area and a radioactive substance possibly leftover from the Fukushima disaster had made its way here. I even heard some people claim that local businesses might have thrown something in the water to draw people to the area. I found some of these attempts at explaining it quite comical because I had a hunch from the start what it most likely was.

Although not all that common here, from time to time, microscopic organisms called Phytoplankton get trapped in shallow waters and cause the water to take on a glowing appearance. Its a common occurrence in more southern places where the waters are warmer. I read about it before and it seemed like the most likely explanation for what was happening in the waters at River Ryan. Maybe it's happening due to the abnormally warm summer we are having or maybe it was happening all along and no one ever noticed it until now. Whatever the reason, crowds gather at the little bridge every night to witness it. In fact, so many people gather there that it actually occurred to me that I might make quite a profit if I set up a table and sold rocks for people to throw in since they are now a rare commodity.

As simple as the explanation may be and the fact that it is most likely nothing paranormal or astronomical, the experience was worth it. Its not every day that I get to see things like this and I didn't have to go all the way to the Caribbean to see it. If you plan on making a trip to River Ryan to witness this strange glowing water for yourself, I suggest you go sooner than later as I suspect it will be gone as quickly as it appeared. But make sure you bring your own rocks because you will be hard-pressed to find any anywhere near the bridge unless you don't mind diving in to get some!

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pictures+of+blue+water+phytoplankton\&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=npk6UNg-gvvKAYePgPgL&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=605#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=glowing+water+phytoplankton&oq=glowing+water+phytoplankton&gs_l=img.3...15790.23650.2.23820.44.32.4.0.0.18.1712.8731.0j15j3j2j1j0j1j2j1.25.0...0.0...1c.0ROyCKHbgdM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=2cb6422dc7c6fba6&biw=1366&bih=605












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