The fluorescent sea in Xiamen is a bioluminescent phenomenon, which is formed by luminous plankton. Fluorescent beach, also known as Martian tide, is actually a bioluminescence phenomenon, which refers to the process that organisms release chemical energy into light energy through certain chemical reactions in the body.

There are many kinds of organisms that can emit light in seawater, ranging from unicellular dinoflagellates to coelenterates, such as marine polychaetes under annelids, luminous jellyfish, various luminous cephalopods under mollusks, and even arthropods such as fireflies and krill.