What makes the Pink Lake in Australia pink?
The Pink Lake, is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It lies about 3km(2m) west of Esperance bounded to the east coast by the South Coast Highway.
The Pink Lake, also known as Spencer Lake, has not been pink for over 10 years. The distinctive colour of the water changes as a result of green alga Dulalielka Salina Halobacterium Hilabacteria Cutirubrum, and/or high concentration of brine prawn. Once the lake water reaches a salinity level greater than that of sea water, if the temperature is high enough and adequate light conditions are provided, the alga begins to accumulate the red pigment beta carotone. The Pink halobacterium grow in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake.
The lake has been identified by Bird Life International as an important Bird Area because it supports significant numbers of hooded plovers over 1% of the world population of banded stilts. It has many migrant and native birds. Between 1997 and 2006, populations of between 12 and 12,000 of the banded stilts were recorded. There was also a population of between 5 and 58 of hooded plovers from 1965 to 2005.
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