SAN DIEGO – A portion of the Pacific Ocean along Torrey Pines turned pink Friday morning because of a science experiment, said the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

This project is called Plumes in Nearshore Conditions which looks to study how small freshwater outflows interact with the surf zone, officials said. The experiment uses environmentally friendly pink dye.

Scientists said the pink dye was released from the estuary mouth at the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon within Torrey Pines State and Natural Reserve. Friday will be just one of three days that pink dye will be released in that area.

Researchers will track the pink dye using drones, sensors attached to poles in the sand in the river mouth and surf zone as well as a jet ski.

Scientists add that the jet ski will be outfitted with a fluorometer, a device that measures the light emitted from the dye.

This entire experiment was funded by the National Science Foundation and was done in partnership with the University of Washington, said the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.