Why The Diving Pool May Have Turned Green

This pool is throwing some serious shade. After the previous night's events came to a conclusion on Monday night, the Olympic diving pool turned green, and it is leaving everyone wondering how the pool managed to turn into such a sickly, different color overnight.

The day before, the pool appeared to have the standard aqua blue color that is generally seen in the Olympic swimming events. But the next day, it became clear that the pool had turned a completely different hue. While the water polo pool still reflects the typical blue color, the adjacent diving pool is clearly a murky green shade, something that British diver Tom Daley captured in a Twitter photo that pretty much summed up the point.

The reason? While there is still no explanation, one running theory regards the temperature of the pool. Warm water is conducive to algae growth, and it turns out that diving pools tend to be kept at slightly warmer temperatures than swimming pools, New Scientist reported. While chlorine should help to prevent such an occurrence, if the outdoor diving pool used for the Rio Games lacked a sufficient amount of chlorine, algae growth could potentially account for the green color change.

Whatever the reason for the unexpected emerald hue shift, there have been no notifications that any events will be delayed due to the appearance or safety concerns regarding the pool. According to The Telegraph, a Rio spokesperson said they are looking into the reason for the color change but that, "Water tests at Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre diving pool have been conducted and there was found to be no risk whatsover [sic] to athletes."

Such an event would definitely not be the first hiccup for the 2016 Rio Games, with the swimming component of the Games taking a fair portion of the heat. An International Olympic Committee doping probe has led to some tensions between American and Russian swimmers, most notably between Lilly King and Yulia Efimova. In addition, concerns about waste and possible pathogen contamination of the Rio coastal water, where the sailing and windsurfing games take place, added more worry about the level of accommodation and safety the Rio Olympics would be maintaining, though the Olympics assured competitors that measures were being taken to keep them safe.