Impressive lakes along the planet (Part 1)

All along the globe, many lakes have particular and very impressive characteristics, resulting in making them very popular. A visit to them can be a journey of life.

The shining lake in Australia is one of these wonderful lakes. The reason for this spectacular spectacle comes from a chemical reaction caused by the intense activity of some organisms on Lake Gippslend, Australia. The result is a strange, glowing blue light (Dinfo, 2012).

The lakes in the Kelimutu volcano, which are changing colors, are another admirable phenomenon. The volcano is located on Flores Island of Indonesia and there are three small lakes in the crater of the volcano, which each of them has a completely different color. The first and second ponds are closer together, while the third one is located at a distance of about 1.5 kilometers. The color of water in each lake is constantly changing over the years. This change is due to Kelimutu volcanic activity combined with sun ray diffraction, water microflora and the reflection of the color of the lake and bottom walls (Wikipedia, 2018).

The stained lake is located in British Columbia of Canada, and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. What makes it stand out is the unusually very high concentration of many different minerals. Some of these are magnesium sulphate, calcium, sodium sulphates, and also contain extremely high concentrations of other metals, as well as small doses of silver and titanium. The mechanism that causes these "spots" is the evaporation of lake’s water during the summer. Depending on the metal composition, the spots are white, pale yellow, green and / or blue. Spots, consisting mainly of magnesium sulphate, which crystallizes in the summer, create natural "corridors" around and between them (Michani tou xronou, 2018).

San Francisco's artificial colorful lakes could not be missing from this list. The lakes have little depth because they were designed to produce salt from seawater. The seawater is transported to the lakes and within 5 years the water evaporates naturally, leaving the salt ready for harvest at the bottom. The different colors of each lake (green, red, blue, yellow) depend on the microorganisms that grow inside it, but also on the salinity levels of the water. Three microorganisms are mainly responsible for changing the color of the lakes, Synechococcus, Halobacteria, and Dunaliella (Dinfo, 2012).

And finally, the Red Lake, or Lake Natron, in Tanzania is one of the warmest and most alkaline lakes in the world. The temperature of the water can exceed 50 Celsius degrees (oC) and the pH reaches 10.5. The lake took its name by natron, a mineral made up mainly of sodium carbonate with small amounts of sodium bicarbonate, i.e. cooking soda. Only a few species of fish and some warm-blooded, reddish crustaceans live in the inhospitable waters of the lake. Flamingos' populations feed on red crustaceans and absorb the pigments on their wings, which are gradually becoming pink (Wikipedia, 2017).

Bibliography

Dinfo. (2012). Retrieved 2018, by Οι πολύχρωμες λίμνες του Σαν Φρανσίσκο: https://www.dinfo.gr/polyxrwmes-limnes-san-francisco/ (greek article)

Dinfo. (2012). Retrieved 2018, by Η λίμνη που λάμπει στην Αυστραλία: https://www.dinfo.gr/%CE%B7-%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%BC%CE%BD%CE%B7-%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%BC%CF%80%CE%B5%CE%B9-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD-%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%83%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%B1/ (greek article)

Wikipedia. (2017). Retrieved 2018, by Natron Lake: https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9B%CE%AF%CE%BC%CE%BD%CE%B7_%CE%9D%CE%AC%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD

Wikipedia. (2018). Retrieved 2018, by Kelimutu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelimutu

Mixani tou xronou. (2018). Retrieved 2018, by Η παραμυθένια λίμνη που μοιάζει με παλέτα ζωγραφικής. Τα νερά της αλλάζουν χρώμα ανάλογα με την εποχή.... : http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-paramythenia-limni-pou-moiazei-me-paleta-zografikis-ta-nera-tis-allazoun-xroma-analoga-me-tin-epoxi-itan-therapeftirio-kai-iero-meros/ (greek article)