We traveled to Australia to visit the Lake HillierThis is a very special lake, as it has pinkish waters. It's located on Middle Island, an island about 5 kilometers long located south of Australia. The lake's pinkish waters are a characteristic feature, making it the subject of numerous scientific investigations and a wide variety of rumors and theories.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, curiosities and why Lake Hillier is pink.
Key features
It is a lake that measures approximately about 600 meters long and 200 meters wideIt's located in the natural ecosystem of an island south of Australia. It's surrounded by thick forests of eucalyptus and kelp trees. This last species of plant is unknown to anyone, and there's little scientific evidence to support it. There are many websites claiming that science can't explain the color of this lake. This is completely false.
Lake Hillier was discovered in 1802 thanks to an expedition known as Findlers. This expedition lasted 40 years and acquired a considerable amount of information about this unusual lake. Studies and research conducted on the lake revealed that it was saturated with salt. And it is that there are 340 grams of salt for each liter of water. This is more than a quarter of salt in a liter of water. This healing is very similar to that of the Dead Sea. The environment is so salty that it cannot sustain life for the vast majority of animals. However, there are bacteria that have adapted to these salinity conditions and can live in these environments. Some of these bacteria they are dunaliella salina and halobacteria.
These bacteria contain a large amount of beta carotene, which helps protect them from intense solar radiation. This component is found in carrots, pumpkins, and tomatoes. You've probably already noticed the similarity between these vegetables and the color of Lake Hillier. This chemical is used in cosmetics thanks to its antioxidant properties. It's also used in the food industry as a food coloring agent for its color. This natural color can vary from yellowish to reddish.
Much of Lake Hillier's color comes from these bacteria that they are loaded with beta carotenes.
Lake Hillier bacteria
On the other hand we find the halobacteria. These organisms are known as ExtremophilesThat is, they are capable of living and developing in extreme conditions. In this case, the extreme conditions are extreme salinity and solar radiation. These halobacteria possess a protein known as bacterioruberin, which is used to absorb sunlight and carry out photosynthesis. This pigment is red in color.
This causes that there are two types of bacteria that are mixed and that mixes the lighter shade of the dunaliella salina and the brighter red of the halobacteria. These two colors are mixed together to give the characteristic pink color of Lake Hillier.
Many people think this lake has the consistency of a strawberry milkshake. However, as you get closer to the lake and draw water from it, you can see that the color lightens. The pink color is even more intense when you look at it from the air and see the bottom riddled with salt. Although this lake has this unusual shade of water, the water is not toxic if ingested. The most that can happen to you is the same as the symptoms of seawater with a high salt content.
Lake Hillier Curiosities
This lake is located on a completely uninhabited, jungle-covered island. This means that it's impossible to visit the lake in person. The only way to see it is by helicopter over the reserve island from Esperance. These trips are usually very expensive, but if you can afford them, they're unforgettable.
Although the most indicated reason for the pink color is the one we have mentioned, There is no scientific consensus that can tell us why. What we do know is that such high salt concentrations in a lake do not allow for the development of life as we know it. A text frequently suggests that organisms that can survive in these environments must adapt to extreme conditions. Therefore, There are life forms that are stranger and more unusual than what we are used to seeing.
The same thing happens with the seabed. Fish like the blobfish have acquired such a strange morphology because they have to adapt to the great pressures of marine environments. This is the reason why a pink lake exists.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Lake Hillier.
