What's Turning California's Waves Purple? Meet the Weirdest Creature in the Ocean

Purple waves at Point Reyes have been identified by marine scientists as likely caused by a bloom of doliolids — tiny, barrel-shaped sea creatures with an extraordinarily complex five-stage life cycle that allows a single individual to multiply into thousands within just 23 days. These organisms can dramatically reshape marine ecosystems by consuming nearly everything from microbes to phytoplankton, and their carbon-rich waste pellets play a role in storing climate-warming carbon. While doliolids are fascinating, their fragility makes them difficult to study, leaving researchers with limited ability to predict when and where such blooms will next occur.