A pink lake is a lake that has a reddish or pink color due to the presence of algae that produce carotenoids (organic pigments). These include algae such as Dunaliella salina, which is a type of halophile green microalgae that lives in particularly salty seawater. Thanks to their pink color, these lakes are becoming increasingly popular among tourists and photographers from all over the world.
This body of water is located on the edge of Middle Island, which is part of the Research archipelago, which stretches for tens of kilometers along south coast Western Australia. The peculiarity of the lake is its bright pink color. The color of the water is constant and does not change if water is poured into a container. The length of the lake is about 600 meters. It is separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of land consisting of sand dunes covered with vegetation.
People first discovered the unusual lake in 1802. Then the British navigator Matthew Flinders decided to stop on the island on his way to Sydney. What a surprise the traveler was when, among the dense forests of the island, he came across a pink pond. The lake is surrounded by white salt deposits and dense forests of tea and eucalyptus trees. To the north, sand dunes separate the lake from the Southern Ocean.
The lake is very popular and tourists strive to get there, even passengers on planes flying over the lake take photographs of this miracle of nature.
2. Retba, Senegal
Lake Retba or Pink Lake is located east of the peninsula Cape Verde(Cap Vert) in Senegal, northeast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It got its name because of the color of the water in which the algae species Dunaliella salina grows.
The color is especially noticeable during the dry season. The lake is also known for its high salt content, which, like the Dead Sea, allows people to float easily.
There is a small salt mining business on the lake. Many salt workers work 6-7 hours a day in the lake, which contains about 40% salt. To protect their skin, they rub “Beurre de Karité” (Shea Butter, obtained from shea nuts collected from the shea tree) into it, which softens the skin and prevents tissue damage. What is called Lake Retba these days, when- that was a lagoon. But the Atlantic surf gradually washed in the sand, and eventually the channel connecting the lagoon with the ocean was filled up. For a long time, Retba remained an unremarkable salt lake.
But in the 70s of the last century, a series of droughts hit Senegal, the Retba became very shallow and the extraction of salt, which lay in a thick layer at the bottom, became quite profitable. At the same time, the water in the lake acquired a pink tint thanks to microorganisms that can exist in a saturated saline solution.
Amazingly colored water and charming boats completely cover the two-kilometer coastline Pink Lake, or Lake Retba, is what it is called in the language of the Wolof people, Senegal's largest ethnic group.
Apart from them, there is no other organic life in the Retba - for algae, not to mention fish, such a concentration of salt is destructive. It is almost one and a half times higher here than in the Dead Sea - three hundred and eighty grams per liter!
3. Torrevieja Salt Lake (Alina de Torrevieja), Spain
Salt lake Torrevieja and La Mata Salt Lake are salt lakes surrounding Torrevieja, a seaside town in southeastern Spain. The microclimate created by the largest salt lakes in Europe - Torrevieja and La Mata - is declared one of the healthiest in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.
Alina de Torrevieja and La Salina de La Mata are the largest salt lakes in Europe.
A special type of algae grows in the water, which gives the water a pink tint. The pink color of Lake Torrevieja, caused by the presence of algae and salt, gives it a "science fiction" appearance. Just like in the Dead Sea in Israel, here you can also just lie on the surface of the water. In addition, this will be of great benefit for the prevention and treatment of skin and lung diseases.
At the other end of the lake, salt is mined and exported to different countries. You can see a huge number of bird species near the lake.
4. Hutt Lagoon, Australia
Hutt Lagoon is shown on the left side, and Indian Ocean- on the right.
Hutt Lagoon is an elongated salt lake located off the coast north of the Hutt River estuary in the mid-west of Western Australia. It is located in the dunes adjacent to the coast.
Hutt Lagoon was once the mouth of the 60km (37 mi) Hutt River, but at some point in the prehistoric past, the river changed course and the estuary remained isolated from both the river and the sea.
The city of Gregory is located between the ocean and the southern shores of the lake. The road between Northampton and Kalbarri, called George Gray Drive, runs along the western edge of the lake.
The lake acquired this color thanks to the abundance of the same algae that produce beta-carotene.
This lagoon is home to the world's largest microalgae farm. The total area of small artificial ponds in which Dunaliella salina is bred is 250 hectares.
The lake is 14 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide.
Hutt Lagoon is a salty pink lake, having a red or pink hue due to the presence of Dunaliella saline in the water. This type of algae produces carotenoids, which are a source of beta carotene, a food coloring and a source of vitamin A.
5. Lake Masazirgol, Azerbaijan
Lake Masazir is a salt lake in the Karadag region, near Baku, Azerbaijan. The total area of the lake is 10 square kilometers. The ionic composition of water contains large volumes of chloride and sulfate.
Workers load salt into horse-drawn carts
In 2010, a plant was opened here to produce two MFAs of Azeri salt. The estimated reserve of salt that can be extracted is 1,735 million tons. It can be extracted both in a liquid state (from water) and in a solid state.
Due to the increased sulfate content, the water in the lake is pink
This pink lake located in British Columbia, Canada is quite unusual, little known and possibly unique. The water in this lake is not at all salty and does not contain algae, but it is still pink in color. You can see in the photo rose water flowing into the lake. The color of the water is due to the unique combination of rocks in this area (rock dust from the glacier).
Pink Lake Quirading is located 11 kilometers east of Quirading (Western Australia). The Bruce Rock Highway passes through it.
The local population considers Pink Lake a natural wonder. At certain times, one side of the lake turns dark pink while the other remains pale pink.
Pink Lake is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is located approximately 3 kilometers west of Esperance and is connected to the east by motorway south coast(South Coast Highway).
The lake is not always pink, but the distinctive color of the water, when the lake takes on a pink tint, is the result of the activity of the green algae Dunaliella salina, as well as a high concentration of saltwater shrimp. The lake has been designated as Important Bird Habitat by the international organization for the protection of birds and their habitat conservation.
And another miracle of nature: Field of Pink Lakes, Australia
This unusual landscape was captured from an airplane in western Australia. This field of pink lakes is located somewhere between Esperance and Caiguna.
There are hundreds of small pink lakes throughout the course, each with its own unique shade of pink. This is due to the fact that the concentration of algae and salt in each lake is different from all the others.
15.04.2013Our planet is teeming with many mystical, unknown, scary and unusual beautiful places. Red and pink lakes are named after the color of their waters. Most often they have shades of red: pink, crimson, scarlet and closer to orange. Many of them are dangerous and inspire feelings of fear and horror.
Scientists say that the lakes owe their color to the microorganisms that live in their waters.
The creepy Red Lake Natron in Tanzania turns all living things into stone
In Africa, on the border with Kenya, in Tanzania there is an ominous Lake Narton. Everyone who touches him turns to stone. So far these are only careless birds.
Why do they become fossilized? It's simple: ideal alkalinity pH is from 9 to 10.5 and salt keeps the corpses in the condition that you see in the photo.
But the lake cannot be called dead - it is a haven for millions of pink flamingos. Birds come here to breed. This is an ideal habitat for them: predators avoid this lake, and blue-green algae with red pigments are good for food.
How to get to Lake Natron? From Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha 50 km. And from Arusha it is another 240 km. There are no special tours to this lake, but on the list of tours to the Oldoinyo-Lengai volcano there is an item: visiting Lake Natron. On your own, of course, it will be much more expensive. You can also see the red lake during a safari in National Park Serengeti National Park or Great Rift Valley(Great Rift Valley).
Bloody Red Lagoon of Colorado in Bolivia
Another reddish lake, Laguna Colorado, is located in Bolivia, in the town of Eduardo Avaroa on the Altiplano. This is a state park with a salt lake. The color of the water is given by borax deposits and some algae.
The lake is inhabited by the same pink flamingos. Crowds of tourists from all over the world come to see these beautiful birds and the equally beautiful shallow lake.
How to get to Red Lagoon? You can get there from the towns of Tupiza or Uyuni by jeep (300 km). The place can be visited as part of the Andes tour.
Koyash mineral lake in Crimea
Koyashskoye Lake is located near the Borisovka resort, in the Opuk Bay, in the Cimmerian steppes.
To contemplate the beauty of the lake. Its rich pink color and fancy stone structures in salt crystals are worth coming to see in July-August. The water recedes and the salt comes out, settling on everything it meets on its way.
How to get there (get there)? From Feodosia, get to Borisovka and use your own transport along the dirt road. By public route from Kerch to Maryevka and then on foot 7 km.
Red salt lake Sasyk-Sivash in Crimea
And this is another lake on the Crimean peninsula, not far from the resort of Evpatoria. Lake Sasyk-Sivash is pink due to the evaporation of mineral salt. During evaporation, many carotenoid microalgae appear.
The healing properties of salt have attracted tourists for a long time. It has a high content of magnesium and potassium, bromine and calcium.
Another bizarre moment with Lake Sasyk-Sivash is the “boiling of the lake”. This miracle is understandable - it’s all due to underwater fountains (griffins).
How to get to Lake Sasyk-Sivash? You can take an electric train from Evpatoria to Saki. Then take a bus to Pribrezhnoye and walk 2 km. or by car.
The salty Chokraskoye Lake is located not far from the village of Kurortnoye on the Kerch Peninsula. It, like all the above, has the property of water turning pinkish-red. The reason for this is unicellular algae.
Tourists come here not only to look at the lake, but also to get healing mud and get treatment.
How to get there? By bus from Kerch to the village of Kurortnoye and 2 km. on foot.
Pink lakes tend to predominate in Australia. There is a large concentration of these unusual water areas. Lake Hillier is located at the very large island Middle Island in Western Australia.
How to get here? The problem is that the island is not inhabited, and you can see it from the window of an airplane. Although Australian travel companies offer trips on sea ships.
Lake Retba in Senegal
The pink lake Retba is located near the capital of Dakar in Senegal.
Pink lake in Altai
Or rather, not one pink lake, but two. The first lake Bursol or Buturlinskoye is located in the Slavogorodsky district Altai Territory(Bursol village), 500 km. from Barnaul to the steppe. And the second is called Raspberry Lake, located 400 km away. from the capital of Altai, near the village of the same name Raspberry Lake.
These salty pink lakes are a great place to relax and prevent the treatment of many diseases. It is clear that the only industry here is salt mining. The pink color of the lakes comes from the crustaceans Artemia and nauplii.
It is better to get there by your own transport or from Branaul by bus: to Raspberry Lake - to the village of Mikhailovskoye, to Buturlinsky - to Slavgorod.
Pink Lake of Senegal (also known as Lake Retba) is not a very famous landmark in Africa, but is still quite extraordinary.
The local population of the Wolof ethnic group prefers to call it Retba Lakes. But we know it as Pink Lake. Again, as in the case of the Blue Grotto, the lake owes its name to its unnatural color for a reservoir.
And here there is something to be surprised at: the color of the water varies from pink to blood red. This phenomenon is associated with the presence in water of a huge number of halophilic archaea of the genus Halobacterium. Translated into understandable language, there are a lot of specific bacteria in the water, which paint the lake in such incredible colors. Particularly bright colors are characteristic of the lake during the dry season.
Pink Lake on the map
- geographic coordinates 14.838150, -17.234862
- distance from the capital of Senegal, Dakar, about 25 km
- the distance to the nearest airport of the same Dakar is approximately 30 km
The history of the Pink Lake is quite earthly and sacrifices with copious amounts of blood were not carried out here. Initially, it was an ordinary lagoon, connected to the ocean by a small channel. But, over time, the ocean surf covered the channel with sand and thereby blocked the communication of the lagoon with the “big water”.
And that is not all. The lake would have remained ordinary and inconspicuous if one day, during a severe drought, they had not become very shallow. Then local residents They began to extract salt from it, and in the simplest way, almost like in the Uyuni salt marsh, collecting it from the bottom of the lake. Over time, bacteria began to develop, turning Lake Retba into abnormal colors. As a result, we have another attraction.
Lake Retba in numbers
- Surface area about 3 km2
- Maximum depth up to 3 meters
It is noteworthy that local residents who extract salt spend 6-7 hours in the water. This is an insanely high amount for such a saturated brine solution. But a special karite product made from shea butter helps workers protect their skin from burns. By rubbing it into the skin, people are able to stay in water for a long time.
The workers live right next to the lake in unpresentable shacks. There is not much entertainment here. Perhaps boat rides, short swimming and jeep rides along the local surroundings. You can buy souvenirs that are sold by local residents, usually carrying them in baskets on their heads.
- The lake has long been the final destination of the famous Paris-Dakar rally
- The salt content in the waters of Pink Lake reaches 40%
- You cannot stay in water for more than 10 minutes, as this can cause chemical burns.
- There are no living creatures (no fish, no algae), except for the above-mentioned bacteria, in the lake (try to survive in a reservoir where there is almost 400 grams of salt per liter of water)
- The salt content in Lake Retba exceeds that of the famous Dead Sea in Israel
- It is almost impossible to drown in the lake, since the density of its water is very high and, accordingly, the buoyant force prevents you from sinking to the bottom
- salt has been mined here since the 70s of the last century
It would seem, what else can surprise a continent in which almost everything is unusual? But Lake Hillier, with its bright pink water, is an unsolved wonder of stunning Australian nature.
It is located in the Recherche archipelago, on its Middle (Middle), off the southern coast of Australia. Lake Hiller is salty and shallow, and the water in it has a juicy density. When you fly low enough on an airplane, a stunning view opens up, worthy of the brush of a surrealist artist: in the middle of the island lies a bright pink oval with smooth edges, framed by a white “frame” of sea salt and dark green eucalyptus forest. The pink surface of Lake Hillier is often compared to a giant bubble gum or glittery cake frosting.
History of a miracle
Pink Lake in Australia was first mentioned in 1802 in the notes of Matthew Flinders. This famous British hydrographer and navigator stopped at Middle Island during his trip to Sydney.
Then whalers and hunters who lived off the southern coast of the mainland in the 30-40s of the 19th century told stories about this lake.
At the beginning of the last century, they decided to mine salt here, but after six years the activity was stopped. And in the 50s, the first scientific studies of amazing color were carried out.
Now Lake Hillier, Australia, is visited by numerous tourists who want to see for themselves that it really is as pink as in the photographs.
Interesting fact
Water appears bright pink in any quantity, even in a small vessel, regardless of the viewing angle.
Think of it like a sunset, with the soft pink Australian sky setting the orange sun slowly down into the clear pink water!
A little information
The dimensions of the reservoir are quite small - about 600 meters long and 200 meters wide. The amazing pink water is separated from the ocean by a strip of sand covered with a dense eucalyptus forest. A white ring of sea salt has naturally appeared around the lake, adding extra contrast. It is quite difficult to approach the lake due to the dense ring that surrounds the lake. But, nevertheless, you can walk here and even swim in the salty pink water!
Why is it pink?
Scientists believed that Lake Hillier owes its rich pink color to a special Dunaliella salina, which produces a bright red pigment in very salty water. Similar algae have been found in other pink lakes around the world.
Samples from Lake Hillier were carefully studied, but no traces of the supposed algae were found. Research was carried out by various scientists and different time, so there is no doubt about the reliability of the result. The color of the water remains a mystery for now.
Australia loves to amaze the imagination with such things, so the pink Lake Hiller has taken its rightful place among the living wonders of the local nature, along with the bright red Shark Harbor, the desert of jagged rocks of The Pinnacles national park Numbung, the striped Bungle Bungle Mountains, Kangaroo Island, the Simpsons Desert and the Great Barrier Reef.
Senegal, located in West Africa, is famous for its extraordinary Pink Lake, its color reminiscent of a strawberry cocktail. Lake Retba is an amazing natural phenomenon, unique in its kind, with a truly rich pink color. It is this fact that made it one of the main attractions of Senegal. What is the secret of this miracle of nature, why does the lake have such a color, and what life stories are associated with it?
In fact, everything is quite simple, the water in Lake Retba is salty to such an extent that it is suitable for the life of only one type of microorganisms, which, in turn, give the color, which varies from pale pink to brown. The salt concentration here is many times higher than in the Dead Sea. The color intensity varies depending on the time of day, namely on the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, as well as on the weather. During drought, the pink color is most pronounced.
Pink Lake is located near the coast Atlantic Ocean, 30 km from the capital of Senegal - Dakar. The area of Retba is 3 square kilometers.
There is an entire village located on the shore of the lake, and local residents spend their days extracting salt from the bottom of the lake and pouring it into boats. This work is very hard, but the pay for it is not bad.
Previously, Lake Retba was not a lake at all; once upon a time it was a lagoon. But year after year, the Atlantic surf brought sand, which subsequently caused the disappearance of the channel connecting the lagoon with the ocean. For many years the lake was unremarkable. But in the 70s, there was a severe drought in Senegal, the Retba became shallow, and the extraction of salt, which lay in a large layer at the bottom, became quite a profitable business.
Nowadays, people extract salt from the lake, standing shoulder-deep in the water, but about 20 years ago there was so little of it that it was possible to walk. By extracting huge amounts of salt from the bottom of the Pink Lake, people very quickly make it deeper. In some places the bottom level dropped by three or more meters.
Video: AROUND THE WORLD: Pink Lake Retba
