Bioluminescence is as mysterious as the deep ocean realm where animals’ own light becomes stronger than daylight as surface light fades into darkness 200 to 1000 meters (600-3000 feet) under the sea. Some call it the “twilight zone,” and it can be spooky indeed, with angler fish that lure prey by dangling glowing bait over their heads and prey that hide behind masks of bioluminescence. New research by a team of scientists during Norway’s polar night in the Svalbard archipelago has revealed that in winter this twilight zone occurs in Arctic waters ten times shallower than normal. In a sense, the deep sea comes to the surface. Read my article on this research in SCIENCE by clicking on the photo below.

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Scientists scuba dive from a small boat along the Svalbard coast in the cold darkness of January to photograph species of the polar night, many of which are bioluminescent.
© Randall Hyman