2- LAKE HILLIER // AUSTRALIA
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KURIOZITETI123, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS // CC BY-SA 4.0
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This small, saltwater lake on an
island off Western Australia is simply one-third of a mile long, but its
bubblegum-pink color makes it especially striking. The lake was documented in
1802 by British explorer Flinders, who took a sample of its waters but didn't
understand how it got its startling hue. Tourists can visit only by helicopter,
though it's safe to swim within the waters.
Scientists today suspect the color is
because of the presence of a pink alga, Dunaliella salina, and/or a pink the bacterium, Salinibacter ruber. But unlike other pink lakes around the world,
like Lake Retba in Senegal, Lake Hillier’s color doesn’t fluctuate with
temperature or sunlight—so the investigation goes on.