Pink Oceans: Scientists Dye Ocean Water as Part of Coastline Experiment

With the name of science at the forefront, researchers are temporarily turning a local beach's seawater pink. This may seem amusing, but the specific color was indeed what the scientists chose, as noted by Futurism.

While the sight of pink seawater may seem amusing, the specific color makes the difference easily distinguishable from the typical greenish blue hue of the ocean.

Project PiNC

The research was conducted by a team from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, as well as the University of Washington. The series of experiments are referred to as PiNC (Plumes in Nearshore Conditions). Such studies aim to look into how outflows of freshwater interact and mingle with the specific surfzone.

The project is funded and backed by the NSF (National Science Foundation). It focuses on the surrounding coastline and estuary of the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon that is situated between the Natural Reserve and Torrey Pines State Beach. There are three set releases of dyes, with the first one already launched last January 20. The two other releases are set for late January or early February this year.

Pink Oceans

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography notes that both estuaries and rivers have vital roles when it comes to the delivery of freshwater and other materials, like contaminants and sediments, to the coast. However, minimal is known about how fresher and more buoyant water plumes interact with ones that are saltier, denser, and usually colder due to their nearshore conditions, especially as the plumes meet with waves that break.

By dying the estuary pink with an environmentally safe colorant, the research team will be able to monitor the processes and reactions that happen when the freshwater plumes encounter the surfzone.

Project leader and coastal oceanographer Sarah Giddings of the Scripps notes excitement about the study since it is a fresh and unique idea. Giddings notes how they are pooling various people with various expertise. They plan to combine experiment results with an earlier field study and computer models that will help them know more about the spread of these plumes.

Futurism notes how the pink pigments make the plumes easier to monitor. Both the naked eye and other instruments, such as ground-bound sensors and drones, find it easier to track the water color that stands out. All of this will also be accompanied by submerged sensors that will gauge certain metrics and aspects, such as temperature and wave height, of the seawater being studied.

With the limitations in literature regarding the convergence of tiny freshwater plumes with waves from the surfzone, the efforts of the research team could help bridge this scientific gap and shed more light on these plumes.

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