Photo: Lake Natron, Northern Tanzania
Date: March 6th, 2017
Satellite: Landsat 8 - Operational Land Imager (OLI)
True Color Image
Landsat 8- OLI true color image of a reddish-pink lake in Norther Tanzania. Red lakes are not common, which begs the question: why is this lake reddish-pink? Lake Natron's shallow waters are known for it's pink and red hues. The lake's uniquely warm temperatures (125 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit), salty, and alkaline chemistry is due to the volcanic activity in the area. Considered inhospitable for many organisms, haloarchaea, also known as salt-loving extremophile microorganisms, and cyanobacteria produce reddish-pink pigments that give the lake its rich pink and red color. These extremophile microorganisms provide an important food resource for the endangered Lesser Flamingo. During the dryer seasons, more than two million Lesser Flamingos use this area for protected nesting grounds, because there are no predators due to the formation of protected channels of the extreme lake chemistry. Lake Natron's high salt and bicarbonate chemistry received press, in recent years, for the calcified birds and bats found and photographed in 2013. Most scientists agreed that these animals died of natural causes and became "calcified" by being coated with sodium carbonate, due to their remains being in close proximity of the lake.
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