The Color Comes From Cells That Cannot Escape the Light<\/p>\n
The pink is living pigment, produced by Dunaliella salina, a single-celled green alga. A 2019 study in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences<\/a> examined a Colombian strain of the same species. When salinity hits 4.0 molar NaCl and light intensity climbs to 390 micromoles per square meter per second, the cells shift from green to red. Carotenoid concentration in those stressed cultures reached 9.67 micrograms per milliliter. That is a sixfold jump over low-salinity conditions.<\/p>\n These carotenoids act as a molecular shield. Under normal conditions, the alga photosynthesizes like any other green cell. But when sunlight pounds down and the water thickens to syrup, reactive oxygen batters the cell walls. The algae flood their interiors with beta-carotene, the pigment that makes carrots orange. It absorbs excess energy before the chloroplasts get destroyed. The color is a panic response, visible from 400 kilometers up.<\/p>\n Then the Archaea Arrive<\/p>\n The NASA feature notes a second color shift. As evaporation grinds on and salt levels <\/a>climb higher, the Dunaliella population crashes. Dead and dying cells <\/a>release organic matter into the water. Halophilic archaea and bacteria multiply in the sudden nutrient surge. These microbes produce their own reddish pigments. The succession deepens the lake\u2019s hue.<\/p>\n Microbiologist Lilliam Casillas Martinez told Smithsonian Magazine what actually happens. \u201cDuring the dry season, it gets really salty,\u201d she said. \u201cAs salinity rises, Dunaliella can die back and archaea and bacteria can take over, which is when the pink tends to show up.\u201d The heart shape is a geological accident. The color records a die-off.<\/p>\n A Working Lake Under Punishing Glare<\/p>\n Salinas Las Barrancas is not protected land. It is an active salt extraction site. According to Argentina\u2019s La Naci\u00f3n<\/a>, harvests pull up to 300,000 metric tons from the flats each year. The material feeds chemical manufacturing and other industries. Workers contend with what local reporting calls punishing glare. The white crust throws sunlight back with enough force to demand constant eye and skin protection.<\/p>\n Still, life holds on at the edges. Salt-tolerant plants ring the pink water. Chilean flamingos eat the same carotenoid-packed microbes that stain the lake. The pigments lodge in their feathers and produce the birds\u2019 pink plumage. The link is straightforward: diet becomes color.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-briny-Salinas-Las-Barrancas-in-Argentina.jpg.webp.webp\")
The briny Salinas Las Barrancas in Argentina have little in common, save for their heart-like shapes. From the perspective of Earth\u2019s orbit, the opposites combine to send a lacustrine Valentine\u2019s Day message. NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang<\/p>\n![\"Dunaliella](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Dunaliella-salina-algae-turn-red-under-intense-salt-and-light-1200x800.jpg.webp.webp\")
When salinity spikes further, the algae die off and pink-producing archaea and bacteria take over the brine. Image credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-lake-yields-300000-tons-of-salt-yearly-1200x800.jpg.webp.webp\")
The lake yields 300,000 tons of salt yearly. Flamingos eat the pink microbes, gaining their color from the diet. Image credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n