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Nature surprises us with incredible phenomena, the product of the most curious reactions. The pink water lakes are one of them. Lovers of photography, landscaping or just curious people willing to be surprised, they travel every year to enjoy its pink water. This type of characteristic lakes is found throughout the world, so we can find pink lakes in Spain, such as the famous Torrevieja lagoon, pink lakes in Mexico, pink lakes in Australia and we will also see pink lakes in Senegal, among other countries. Although not all of us have time or money to travel, you may want to get to know them a little more closely without leaving home. Join us at Ecologista Verde and learn everything you need to know about why are there pink lakes and how many are there, enter more details.
Why are there pink lakes
The first question we must answer is… Why are there pink lakes? The response to this phenomenon begins with a common feature of all these lakes: their high salinity. These conditions favor the growth and development of various types of algae and bacteria, as well as small crustaceans. Being an ecosystem not suitable for the vast majority of living beings, there is a massive reproduction of its inhabitants that gives, as a result, that characteristic color.
Among these organisms, it will be the Dunaliella salina, a microalgae that grows in saline environments, which confers this coloration in most cases. This is due to its huge concentration of carotenoids, reddish or orange, also present in nature as occurs with the pigmentation of red peppers or carrots. Your mix of as a result the pink color of the water. In addition, the color of the pink lake water increases as the water evaporates and the salt remains. In this way a greater number of algae is concentrated Dunaliella salina that end up reflecting their color on the salt crystal.
Image: ResearchGate (study in bibliography)
How many pink lakes are there in the world
We can find pink lakes around the world. Although, while it is true that Australia has the vast majority of pink rivers of the world, it is also true that we can find pink lakes in countries such as Kazakhstan, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Bolivia, Azerbaijan and Senegal, among others, as we will see below.
Names and location of the pink lakes
Next, we want to show you some of the most beautiful pink lakes in the world.
Hillier Lake
Among the most spectacular lakes in the world is this Australian lake that is surrounded by lush forest and close to the coast. The contrast between the pink color of its waters and the turquoise tones of the sea make this lake the most beautiful in Australia. As we have already mentioned, in the country there are three more pink-water lakes, but not as spectacular.
Lake Retba
This pink lake is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Cape Verde, in Senegal. This African lake covers an area of 3km2 that is not only used as a tourist attraction but also as a salt mine. In Africa we will find more pink water lakes but none stands out as much as Lake Retba.
Lake Las Coloradas
Las Coloradas is one of those magical places on the Yucatan coast that cannot be overlooked. Located in the municipality of Río Lagartos, we find here a picture that is difficult to forget with the pink water of the lakes separated by only a strip of sand from that of the sea.
Although they are popularly called lakes or lagoons, what actually happens is that they are pools of high salinity, a product of the sea salt extraction activity in the area, the number 1 in Mexico. Las Coloradas does not have a great tourist infrastructure, which is also a plus if you are looking for a more intimate and original destination.
The salt flats of Torrevieja
The pink lagoon of Torrevieja, in the Natural Park of the La Mata and Torrevieja lagoons, in Alicante, is one of the largest salt flats in Europe, if not the largest directly, with its 2,100 hectares of extension. They were not really opened to tourism until 2022, although since then they have been a resounding success due to the great spectacle offered by their pink waters.
Masazir Lake
Located in Azerbaijan, Lake Masazir is a jewel of nature. Its deep pink waters are the delight of photography lovers, especially since it is not yet well known at the tourist level. This allows landscape lovers to enjoy not only the color spectacle of the lake, but also the peaceful atmosphere that surrounds it. In addition, it is also used as a base for the salt industry.
Dusty Rose Lake
Located in the heart of British Columbia, in the Tweedsmuir natural park, in Canada, we find one of the most unique pink lakes in the world, and that is that the Dusty Rose, unlike the other pink lakes, does not owe its color to the salinity and the presence of halobacteria. Instead, the color of its waters comes from the minerals present in the surrounding land. Around the Dusty Rose, we can also visit other smaller lakes, some pink and another a beautiful green.
Here you can see the images of these pink lakes. In addition, we advise you to read this other article about Why rivers and lakes are important.
If you want to read more articles similar to Pink lakes: why there are and how many there areWe recommend that you enter our Nature Curiosities category.
Bibliography- The unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina Teod. as a model for abiotic stress tolerance: genetic advances and future perspectives. Ana A. Ramos1, Jürgen Polle2, Duc Tran2, John C. Cushman3, EonSeon Jin4 and João C. Varela1, * 1 Center of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal 2 Brooklyn College, The City University of New York Brooklyn, New York, NY 11210, USA 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0330, USA 4 Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea. Available in: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228474931_The_unicellular_green_alga_Dunaliella_salina_Teod_as_a_model_for_abiotic_stress_tolerance_Genetic_advances_and_future_perspectives//0deec53c5285fccload71/link
