South Bay Salt Ponds, 10/24

This oblique photo captures the South Bay salt pond complex of the San Fransisco Bay. Going back over a hundred years, these pools were created for salt production by dredging and filling the naturally occurring salt marshes and wetlands of the Bay Area. The varying colors of the ponds indicate different stages of the evaporation process. The red coloration is indicative of higher salt concentration/greater evaporation, with the color itself caused by the presence of algae, microbes, and brine shrimp that thrive in this high-salinity environment. These salt ponds are now the site of an extensive environmental restoration project to convert the land back to natural wildlife habitat.