What is fluorescence? Simply put, "fluorescence" is the term used to describe the absorption of light at one wavelength and its emission at another wavelength. In essence, wavelengths of stimulating light serve as a source of excitation energy that boosts an electron to an unstable energy level. Due to this instability, the energized electron almost immediately returns to a stable state. It is during this return trip when excess energy is emitted as fluorescent light! This emitted light, usually a "glowing" violet, green, yellow, or orange, is only visible while the stimulating light is illuminating the subject. The different colors of fluorescent light being emitted are often a product of the pigments inherent within the marine organism. Please visit the University of California, Santa Barbara's, "Bioluminescence" webpage for more information on the chemistry of fluorescence.
Fluorescence differs from bioluminescence and phosphorescence with respect to the sources of excitation energy. As described above, fluorescent light is generated by the transfer of energy from wavelengths of stimulating light to electrons. Bioluminescence is visible light generated by a chemical reaction within an organism, such as a flashlight fish or marine plankton. Phosphorescence is similar to fluorescence in that wavelengths of light are used as the source of excitation energy. However, in phosphorescent materials the energized electron is much more stable therefore the "glowing" light lasts well after the stimulating light has been removed. This is the premise behind materials that "glow-in-the-dark", such as dive gauges and underwater compasses.
Using technology developed by Dr. Charles Mazel, founder of "Night Sea", Gestalt Switch Expeditions has been documenting fluorescence in marine organisms around the world since 2004. We invite you to browse our "Fluoro Gallery" to see what creatures "glow" and to ponder the evolutionary and ecological significance of this illuminating phenomenon.
