Why San Diego's waves turned bright pink

The usual blue waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego are looking quite different — at least for a while. Bright fuchsia-colored waves were seen crashing along the shore in the past week, and researchers have revealed just what's causing the sudden and dramatic color change.

It's science.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography is actually responsible for the temporary color change at Torrey Pines State Beach. Researchers are conducting a study, called Plumes in Nearshore Conditions, or PiNC, to learn more about how freshwater interacts with salt water near shore.

By releasing a non-toxic pink dye in the nearby Los Peñasquitos Lagoon coastal estuary, researchers say they are able to monitor what happens to that water when "small-scale plumes" end up in the surf zone along the beach, where the waves break.

This research, Scripps said, will "provide a first-ever view" of how freshwater mixes with the more dense ocean water within waves. That information, they said, is crucial for understanding how sediments, pollutants, larvae and other materials disperse throughout shorelines. The pink plume in this study will be monitored with various instruments, from land, sea and air.

The dye being used poses "no threat to humans, wildlife or the environment," Scripps said, although civilians have been urged to not swim in the area due to the ongoing research.