Videos posted on social media show Brisbane residents heading out to get a glimpse of neon-blue bioluminescence. But what causes it, and is finding it more than blind luck?

There are some known hotspots in south-east Queensland with potential for the phenomenon… the lower Brisbane River especially can have blooms in the winter months, “so it isn’t a bad place to go on a calm winter’s night”.

“But to a degree, there’s an element of luck. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t,”

"In general, it’s perfectly safe… “I would certainly not link a nice bioluminescing ocean with an unhealthy habitat that might be dangerous.”

Professor Burford said citizen science was a “great vehicle” for learning more about bioluminescence.

"Certainly people posting where they’re seeing it and when is a valuable resource because you can’t be out monitoring everything all the time and typically people don’t monitor at night when they’re looking at water quality.

“So, it’s good to have that information from the public.”