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Glowing Sand, Extreme Low Tides Hit Oregon Coast; Ethereal Shot of Astoria Published 09/14/2010 (Oregon Coast) - It's true - the glowing sand has indeed arrived. The Freakiest Part of Oregon Coast Second Summer: Glowing Sand A weird and wonderful secret nature is in store for the motivated beachcomber Second Summer and even the regular summer months increase your chances of seeing the “glowing sands” phenomenon, something that’s fairly common in tropical climates but rare in these parts. It’s often mislabeled as “phosphorescence,” which is a kind of chemical reaction. The tiny phytoplankton that create the glowing sands phenomenon do so by a biological process called bioluminescence. They are called dinoflagellates, and they’re the microscopic creatures that are a major part of the basic food chain in the ocean. More here The glowing sand critters showed up in Cannon Beach and Manzanita in recent days, and were especially visible Monday night. You must look for an extremely dark beach with no streetlights or moonlight to see it. Find out more at the link above. Amidst this spectacular nocturnal display, an extreme low tide event (minus .1) hit the coast last night as well. This meant the tide line was around 200 feet farther out than normal in some spots. In Cannon Beach, at this spot below, at the southern end, the tide is normally at this rock seen in the photo. Last night, it was more than 200 feet beyond that. Meanwhile, BeachConnection.net cameras caught the bridge at Astoria in a particularly ethereal mood at night, with twinkling stars and lights reflecting in the river. More to come at Oregon Coast Beach Connection later today. Glorious weather also typified Manzanita and the rest of the Oregon coast on Monday - and more of that to come as well. An unnamed beach between Florence and Yachats begins to get moodier in late August. More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... Oregon Coast Dining
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