PINKY RESERVOIRS IN AUSTRALIA

A salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia is called a pink lake. The reason behind the lake is pink due to salt concentration. It lies about 3 kilometres west of Esperance and is bounded to the east by the South Coast Highway.2,225 acres is the surface area of this lake. External changes and weather conditions can affect the colour of the lake. Esperance’s Pink Lake has lost its pink colour due to salinity changes caused by human activity. The lake has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it usually supports significant numbers of hooded plovers and sometimes over 1% of the world population of banded stilts.

It has had many migrant and native birds. Between 1997 and 2006, populations ranging between 12 and 12,000 of the banded stilt were recorded. There was a population of between 5 and 68 of the hooded plovers from 1995 to 2005. Lake Hillier is one of Australia’s most famous pink lakes, located off the southern coast of Western Australia on Middle Island. British explorer, Matthew Flinders, discovered the lake in January 1802 when he climbed the highest peak on the island and noticed “a small lake of a rose colour”. The lake turned out to be as saline as the Dead Sea, and Flinders used the opportunity to top up his ship’s salt stores.

Besides Lake Hillier, there are four pink lakes in Victoria’s Murray-Sunset National Park, Lake Crosbie, Lake Becking, Lake Kenyon and Lake Hardy, and there is also a pink inlet located between Geraldton and Kalbarri in Western Australia, called Hutt Lagoon. Though the pink lake is not dangerous, we are not allowed to visit this lake because of the presence of halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts. A reaction between the salt and the sodium bicarbonate that is found in the water may cause allergy.

Hutt Lagoon is pink is because it contains algae often used for food colouring and in cosmetics. It is not advisable to drink water from Lake Hillier. Fishes can’t survive in the high salt concentration of the pink Lake Hillier. The type of microorganisms known as the Dunaliella salina is what gives the pink Lake Hillier its characteristic bubble-gum pink hue. This microorganism is rich in beta carotene. The lake bumbuga is known to change colour from pink to white, to blue, depending on the salinity of the water throughout the year. Hutt Lagoon is a salt lake located near the coast of Western Australia. A huge percentage of the surface is made up of dry salt due to the high levels of evaporation. The salty water comes from the proximity of the Indian Ocean. The pink hue is a result of the algae in the water.

Credits: Jothika

Comments

WHY ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEAN ARE NOT MIXED?

Nearly 72% of the earth is filled with water and it is present with different names- oceans, seas, rivers. Why are they named differently? There are five oceans namely Artic ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean and Antarctic ocean . All the oceans are different in their physical and biological character called ocean clines. When we look at the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean junction, they do not mix. Is there any invisible Wall in between them? Many scientists have conducted research to solve this mystery. The Atlantic and Pacific Ocean have different chemical composition. The salinity of the water in the Atlantic Ocean is five times more than the Pacific Ocean. The density of water is also different, so even marine animals in Atlantic Ocean will not go to the Pacific Ocean. They cannot survive in other oceans. Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Horn. The narrow straight line formed by the water bodies is called Drake Strait. The Pacific Ocean is ...

The Chemical Lake

Spotted Lake or Lake khiluk in Canada is richly concentrated with various minerals. It contains dense deposits of magnesium sulfate, calcium, and sodium sulfates. It also contains high concentrations of eight other minerals and lower amounts of silver and titanium. Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colorful mineral deposits. Large ‘spots’ on the lake appear and are colored according to the mineral composition and seasonal amount of precipitation. Magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer, is a major contributor to spot color. Originally known to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley (Native American Tribe) as Khiluk, Spotted Lake was for centuries and remains revered as a sacred site thought to provide therapeutic waters. It is the most mineralized lake in the world. Each spot holds a different cure due to the unique chemical content found within each puddle. Lake Khiluk is considered a saline endorheic alkali lake. The Okanag...

Why some flowers bloom at night ?

Summer is known for its fields of wildflowers and flowering trees. All colours of pedals spread toward the sky. We have taken for granted that flowers bloom during the day, just like how summer is warm and grass grows. However, there are some flowers that defy the norm and do not go with the flow of following daylight hours. These flowers actually have a good reason for their particularly weird flower habits. The main purpose of flower blossoms is for the plant to spread their seeds. The flower attracts bees, the bees fly to another flower, and voila, the flower has spread its seeds. However, bees are not the only pollinators, even if they are the most famous. “7 Insect Pollinators that Arendt Bees or Butterflies”, moths, mosquitos, beetles, and even ants share the credit for helping flowers flourish. Most pollinators roam only in daylight, leading most flowers to open up when the sun is out to fit their pollinators’ schedule. But not all pollinators like t...

Home

Search This Blog