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Turkey’s Salt Lake turns pink
Turkey’s Salt Lake turns pink
One of Turkey’s must-see attraction spots, Salt Lake has recently turned pink thanks to a boom of algae species. (Photos: Alamy)
The boom of Dunaliella saline micro-algae and halobacteria have given Salt Lake a fairy shade of pink — and there is science behind it.
When the weather gets hotter, the algae species produce a beta-carotene pigment, which is red, to protect themselves from the hazardous sunrays.
The hot weather conditions also influence the halobacteria, as these micro-organisms over-reproduce and contribute to the pinkness of the lake.
As the weather gets cooler or rainfalls commence, the lake changes back to its normal color.
Located some 150 kilometers from the capital Ankara, the famous Salt Lake spans an area of 1,665 square kilometers and is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. It is also the second largest lake in Turkey.
Salt Lake is also one of the world’s premier nesting grounds for colorful flamingos.
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