A few days ago, a group of researchers from Dalhousie University approached the Tufts Cove station, a power station on the coast of Halifax in eastern Canada, and spilled no less than 500 liters of a coloring liquid, which spread through the waters of the bay until there was one Area of ​​500 meters in diameter covered with pink. As if it were a strange blob of fuchsia tar, the stain spread along the shore, causing more than a grimace of astonishment, and gradually dissipating.

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How big is this?

This was not hooliganism or deception on the part of the Dalhousie students. The goal of the dumping was quite different: combating global warming.

Possibly more than one Halifax resident wondered what that giant blob was as they gazed out onto the shore and saw the water turn an intense pink hue. The leak appeared to have originated at Nova Scotia Power’s Tufts Cove station and spread across the waters of the Port of Halifax to form a blob that, according to initial calculations by those responsible for the strange sight, was about 500 meters across should cover .

The pink-colored substance remained prominent in the water for a few hours, until its concentration in Bedford Bay appeared to gradually decrease.

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Farce, wrong track, homage to Barbie ?

NO. An experiment. The writers were a group of researchers from Dalhousie University, and their focus had little to do with Greta Gerwig’s latest film. They dumped 500 liters of a diluted dye solution into the waters of Halifax Harbor via the Tufts Cove station spout. And not just any dye.

It is Rhodamine WT, a soluble dye that scientists have been using for decades to study propagation and flow phenomena in aquatic systems such as rivers, streams, lakes, underground springs or, as in this case, the sea From around 500 liters to , Dalhousie experts deployed boats, drones and autonomous underwater vehicles that allowed them to study the pink dye’s behavior over the days that followed before it finally dissipated into the sea.

Yes, all of that… But what for?

Strange as it may seem, the purpose of this oil spill was to help the planet. Specifically, it’s about showing us new ways to slow down global warming.

Canadian researchers wanted to gain experience with a technology developed by Planetary Technologies, a company specializing in climate technologies, in preparation for the tests that will take place between September and October.

His goal: to increase the oceans’ ability to extract and store carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas whose concentration in the atmosphere is expected to fall.

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And how to achieve it?

By improving the alkalinity of the ocean. The researchers propose dispersing a “mildly alkaline” substance that would increase the ocean’s ability to extract and store CO2 from the atmosphere. At Dalhousie, they compare this substance to the antacids we take after a meal for heartburn.

“Dubbed Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), this approach is one of many being considered given the need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.“, explain it.

Why the dye?

Go from theory to reality. What the researchers want is that they have all the means to be able to accurately determine whether their proposal is effective or not in new tests with the alkaline solution in the fall. “This colorimetric study will allow us to determine how fast the water is dispersing from the outlet, where it is moving in the harbor and whether our water distribution and movement model’s predictions are correct.“, explains oceanographer Katja Fennel.