Visitors to Santa Monica Beach may notice the ocean waves turning pink September 15, 22–24 and 30 near the breakwater and pier because of a temporary, non-toxic dye used to study water quality.
Visitors to Santa Monica Beach may notice the ocean waves turning pink September 15, 22–24 and 30 near the breakwater and pier because of a temporary, non-toxic dye used to study water quality. Researchers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering will release the dye in collaboration with The Bay Foundation. The fluorescent Rhodamine Water Tracer dye, which has been used by researchers for many years to understand water movement, will disperse naturally and pose no risk to people, animals or vegetation.
The project builds on a 2024 experiment by the UCLA Coastal Flood Lab and The Bay Foundation, continuing efforts to study how the Santa Monica Breakwater influences ocean circulation and contributes to poor water quality.
Constructed in 1934 to create the Santa Monica Yacht Harbor, the breakwater reduced wave energy and allowed boats to dock in calmer waters. Over time, storms damaged the structure, and by the mid-1980s, it had been reduced to its current height, making it no longer functional as a marina. The rocky breakwater remnants offshore of the pier are visible from the beach, especially at low tide.
Read more at: University of California - Los Angeles
The rocky Santa Monica Breakwater remnants offshore of the pier are visible from the beach, especially at low tide. (Photo Credit: The Bay Foundation)
