UCLA researchers and the Bay Foundation turned the ocean around the Santa Monica Pier pink on Monday, all in the name of science.
The Bay Foundation's Tom Ford told KNX News’ Karen Adams that officials deployed instruments into the water and added the nontoxic dye to begin studying the circulation of the ocean around the Santa Monica Pier.
“When we started talking about this with the public, folks were like, ‘Hey, could you maybe help improve the water quality? Hey, could you make [a] better habitat for fish and marine life? Hey, could you make the surf better? Could you make the waves better?” he said. “So we're really open to trying to figure out what the options are to do any of those things.
Ford added that they’re hoping to find out about the water quality.
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“Concerns that the pier, which received protection from the breakwater for many decades, that breakwater was damaged in the ‘82, ‘83 El Niño,” he said. “And with sea level rise and increased storminess, [there’s] concerned that the pier itself is more likely to be damaged.”
Scientists will be dyeing the ocean pink again on Sept. 22nd through the 24th, and again on the 30th
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