EnvironmentIran

Lake Urmia

This lake in northwest Iran has started turning from green to red more frequently than scientists are comfortable with.

In the summer of 2016, the water of Iran’s Lake Urmia dramatically changed color from green to red. It was not a new phenomenon, but it has become more frequent in recent years, and is not the only disturbing trend that the lake is experiencing.

This is mostly due to human activity, with dams and illegal wells impeding the flow of water from the 60 surrounding rivers and streams that feed the lake. These and other developments have caused the salinity of the water to rise significantly, which affects wildlife of all sizes. Migratory birds like flamingos, pelicans, ducks, and egrets no longer frequent the lake, which cannot sustain fish anymore. Even the lake’s native species of brine shrimp, Artemia, which can survive at very high salinity levels, are rumored to have gone extinct.

The organisms that are thriving are the reason the water turns red. The algae that grows in the lake, Dunaliella salina, would normally appear green, but with less water in the lake and more exposure to sunlight, the algae produces carotenoids in its cells to absorb the excess light, which makes it appear red. It is also thought that a salt-loving bacteria called Halobacteriaceae, which has a red pigment to absorb sunlight for energy, is involved.

Water loss also exposes the lake’s salt, which visitors to the lake like to cover themselves with, but which also gets kicked up by windstorms, causing injury to people and to crops.

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