The Covert Secrets of the Santa Monica Pier
What seems like a fun day at the pier may actually have some unintended consequences.
On a chilly Tuesday, late in the afternoon, the sun begins its descent over the waters of Santa Monica. From my vantage point on a nearby lookout spot near the main road, I capture a captivating scene with my phone lens. Tranquil light, leftover from the sunset, seeps through the cracks strewn through the clouds of the sleepy, gray sky while ocean waves roll rhythmically onto the sandy shore. Contradictorily, the artificial colors and neon lights, belonging to none other than the Santa Monica Pier, pine for attention and stick out against nature on the beach like a sore thumb. Freezing a moment in time, the elements of this photograph emphasize the striking presence of tourism in popular cities, capturing a quintessential instance of the toxic relationship between the industrial and beach ecosystems.
Sitting on the sunny coast of southern California, Santa Monica is a bustling city which attracts eager tourists from all walks of life to enjoy its array of entertainment. From bougie Italian bars, to five-star hotels, to vegan French bakeries, one is sure to find an activity to their liking. At the heart of the city lies the infamous Santa Monica pier, as depicted in the image. With 10 million visitors each year, this boardwalk is home to wild roller coasters, glitzy lights and eccentric street performers (“Partnerships”). On the surface, this tourist attraction appears to be a place solely of fast-paced excitement, bright colors or somewhere a child can make themselves sick devouring endless amounts of funnel cake. On the contrary, though, a trough of environmental detriments lie hidden, simply waiting to be uncovered.
It’s hard to ignore the large expanse of asphalt that makes up the parking lot for the pier encroaching onto the sand. Because of its convenience for incoming tourists, even on a cooler winter evening, the space is crawling with cars and pedestrians. This sight is undoubtedly distracting and hectic, representing a harsh contrast from the cadenced nature of the water. In addition to their visual impediment to the beach, parking lots, especially those belonging to a tourist attraction, such as the pier in the photograph, with high volumes of visitors each day, contribute dramatically to the pollution of nearby ocean water. As vehicles drive and park in these areas, they excrete hazardous materials, like leftover motor oil, gasoline, and even products like antifreeze which quickly accumulate (“Managing Urban Runoff”). Due to asphalt’s impermeability, these pollutants easily runoff into nearby ocean ecosystems during rainstorms, rupturing their delicate stability by harming marine organisms and native plants (“Managing Urban Runoff”). What appears initially only to be an eyesore, actually symbolizes a truly detrimental effect of tourism on life in the waters near the Santa Monica Pier. Is this parking lot’s accessibility really worth the perpetual damage it instills upon the environment?
The body of the pier juts out into the ocean like a claw, adorned with winding coasters and vibrantly-colored carnival tents. In this image, night taunts the scene as the sun sets over the pier. As I stood watching, beaming lights sprinkled about the structure began to power on, illuminating the boardwalk for visitors. While the lights are playful and colorful to the eye of observers, their concealed secrets hold a much more threatening effect. Considering the exorbitant amount of light radiating from the pier, it's hard to ignore its contribution to the wide-spread issue of light pollution plaguing the LA area. Many marine animals, like the snowy plover or the grunion fish commonly found in Santa Monica waters, depend on the dark setting of the night for their typical practices, such as mating, sleeping and even migrational patterns (Aronson). With the invasion of their natural habitats by this excessive lighting, these natural routines are effectively disrupted, which, long-term, can lead to even more unpleasant effects like endangerment (Aronson). While the dazzling lights of the pier may seem pleasing or aesthetic to post on an Instagram story to an uneducated tourist, it's hard to justify their extensive presence in such an elaborate, yet delicate ecosystem that is acutely dependent upon nightfall.
Despite the overbearing residence of these industrial components on the beach due to the tourist industry, auspicious hints of nature nevertheless frame the image. A green, succulent-like bush reaches up from soil towards the evening sky with open hands, and serene, white foam bubbles nimbly roll across the sand. A delicate yellow fissure in the clouds fills the horizon. From my position on the beach, I can imagine this exact scene as one untouched by the effects of tourism, in a healthy and natural state. The perseverance of this nature despite the challenges posed by the pollution due to tourism is inspiring, and even alludes to the introduction of possible methods, such as installing more effective storm drains or using warm-toned, shielded light-sources, in order to further protect marine ecosystem wildlife (“Nonpoint Source Pollution”;“How to Mitigate Marine Light Pollution”).
Also important, though, would be an increased effort towards the education of tourists entering this intricate space, enabling them to make informed and sustainable decisions in hopes they contribute to an effort of preservation of spaces such as the Santa Monica Pier. Although a vacation may feel temporary to a tourist, the impact they live behind on the spaces they visit is not. Working together, the varied levels of the tourist industry, from the big business to the travelers themselves, can look forward to making these spaces more enjoyable for all walks of life on the beach.
Works Cited
Aronson, Sonia. “Study Draws Southern California Coastal Light Pollution into Focus.” UCLA, Regents of University of California, 16 Mar. 2020, newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/los-angeles-coastal-light-pollution. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
“How to Mitigate Marine Light Pollution.” Www.doc.govt.nz, New Zealand Government, www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/conservation-services-programme/csp-resources-for-fishers/how-to-manage-marine-light-pollution/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
“Managing Urban Runoff.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 2003.
“Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) Control Program Encyclopedia | California State Water Resources Control Board.” Ca.gov, State of California, 2025, www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/nps/encyclopedia/4_1e_assmt_runoff.html. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
“Partnerships.” Pacific Park® | Amusement Park on the Santa Monica Pier, Enki Tech, pacpark.com/about/partnerships/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
US EPA, OW. “What Affects Beach Health.” Www.epa.gov, 12 Feb. 2013, www.epa.gov/beaches/what-affects-beach-health. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
I really enjoyed reading your thoughtful reflection on the Santa Monica Pier. Your description of the pier’s vibrant lights contrasting with the delicate marine ecosystem was especially powerful. Since you mentioned tourist education as a key solution, I wonder what strategies might be most effective in reaching visitors. For instance, do you think interactive exhibits at the pier itself could raise awareness about marine life and pollution? Or perhaps digital campaigns through social media could engage younger tourists directly? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how these ideas might complement the solutions you mentioned, like improved storm drains and shielded lighting.
This is an amazingly written newsletter. I love how you started off your piece with a lot of sensory details and vivid imagery. It is so sad to hear about how the runoff into the ocean ecosystems during rainstorms, harms marine organisms. I never thought about how the Santa Monica Pier is affecting climate change. I was wondering what other effects does light pollution have on animals? Thank you for sharing your writing!