The Earth Story

This is the aptly named ‘Pink Lake’ in Western Australia; it is a salt lake that lies about 3 kilometers west of Esperance. In warmer months, when the water temperature is sufficiently high and adequate light conditions are provided, the normally green algae Dunaliella salina begin to accumulate the red pigment Beta Carotene. In addition, the pink halobacterium; Halobacteria Cutirubrum, thrives in the salt crust deposited at the bottom of the lake. The combination of both D. salina and H.cutirubrum results in the overall pink appearance of the lake. -Jean Photo courtesy of Radu Bargaoan.