California researchers made a grim discovery earlier this month when ash and debris from the Los Angeles fires were found floating far offshore in the Pacific Ocean. Plumes of dark smoke and detritus,

San Diego scientists are collecting samples of ash from California's coast to measure how toxins and urban debris from the Los Angeles wildfires could affect nearby fisheries and the food webs of local ecosystems.

The Eaton and Palisades fires have changed life for thousands of Los Angeles residents. Now, scientists are investigating how the blazes may also impact marine life some hundreds of miles offshore. Scientists aboard a research vessel off the California coast were collecting samples when the fires broke out.