Spencer Lake (Western Australia)

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The dynamics of why a lake turns into pink is very complex and external changes and weather conditions can have a major impact. Esperance's Pink Lake has lost its pink color due to a number of contributing factors.

Pink Lake (formerly known as Spencer Lake) is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. Although historically the water in the lake appears pink, by 2017 it has never been pink for more than ten years. Salt concentration is very important for Pink Lake pink, because conditions change we can see Pink Lake turning pink again. It lies about 3 kilometers (2 mi) west of Esperance and is bordered to the east by the South Coast Highway.

Video Spencer Lake (Western Australia)

Description

Typical colors of water change as a result of green algae Dunaliella salina , halobacterium Halobacteria cutirubrum , and/or high concentrations of brine shrimp. Once the lake water reaches a salinity level greater than seawater, the temperature is high enough and sufficient light conditions are provided, the algae begin to accumulate the red pigment beta carotene. The pink halobacterium grows in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake.

It is believed that the construction of highways and railways to change the flow of water into the lake reduces its salinity which (why in 2017) no longer appears pink.

Maps Spencer Lake (Western Australia)

Name

In 1848 explorer John Septimus Roe named the waterway of Lake Spencer after Sir Richard Spencer, a resident judge in Albany who contributed to the early establishment of a Western Australian colony. Lake Warden, adjacent, was noted to have been named after Sir Richard Spencer's wife, Lady Ann Warden Spencer.

The lake has shown different pink colors in the past and referees daily as Pink Lake until 1966 when President Shire, Cr W S Paterson made a request to the successful Geography Name Committee and resulted in Lake Spencer officially becoming Pink Lake. For years Pink Lake is a tourist attraction in the Esperance region with the surrounding area, artery roads and local businesses that adopt its name.

Misleading name

Since tourists visiting Esperance to see Pink Lake are disappointed not to see pink lakes, there is a suggestion to change the name of the lake and town back to Spencer Lake or find a way to change the salinity so that the lake looks pink once again.

Confusion with Lake Hillier

Hillier Lake is located on Middle Island at Recherche Archipelago off the coast of Cape Arid, east of Esperance. This lake is famous for its bright pink color that contrasts with the blue color of the ocean. The island is managed by the Western Australian Government and can be accessed by boat and air.

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History

Historically Pink Lake is a lake terminal in the Warden Lake wetland system, where water from the main lake (Wheatfield, Woody and Windabout) and Lake Warden periodically flows to Pink Lake, carrying salts that accumulate into the environment.

Increased salt concentrations combined with a decrease in water level from evaporation during the summer trigger the appearance of pink color that can be seen in lakes across the country. Pink Lake loses its connections to Lake Warden and the eastern lake with the construction of the railway line and the South Coast Highway.

Commercial salt mining, which began in 1896 and ceased in 2007 reduces salt levels in lakes. With further reduction to the lake-caused lake salt concentration entering the system through a combination of inlet flow and increased groundwater flow due to cleaning in the catchment area associated with adjacent subdivisions.

Salt Production

Prior to salt production, the lake environment was studied in the 1980s. Table salt is produced in a solar pond at the eastern end of the lake. WA Salt Supply Company manufactures water softening salt, coarse salt and sheepskin salts at the Esperance site. Salt is dried, crushed, and stored on site before being distributed.

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The science behind the pink lake

The dynamics of why a lake turns into pink is very complex and external changes and weather conditions can have a major impact. Esperance's Pink Lake has lost its pink color due to a number of contributing factors. The orange/pink color of salt lake around the world is caused by green algae of Dunaliella salina and archaea Halobacterium cutirubrum.

Dunaliella salina is the most recognizable salt tolerant algae and can grow in salinity as high as 35% NaCI, compared to sea water containing about 3% NaCI.

At high salinity, high temperatures and high light, these algae accumulate red carotenoid pigments, beta-carotene. This is the same pigment that gives carrots, which contain 0.3% Beta-carotene, its color. Concentrations as high as 14% of dry weight can occur in Dunaliella salina, which is the highest in any organism. Beta-carotene protects algae against damage from high light, coats the green chlorophyll and gives orange/red algae.

Dunaliella salina found in salt lakes around the world including Antarctica, Chile, USA, China, Tibet, France, South Africa and more closely can be observed off the coast of Cape Arid, east of Esperance at Lake Hiller located on Middle Island. This algae is named after Michel FÃÆ' ​​© lix Dunal who first recognized the red color of certain salt lakes in France because of an organism.

Archaea Halobacterium cutirubrum is pink and generally grows in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake. The exact color of the lake depends on the balance between Dunaliella salina and Halobacterium cutirubrum with a salt concentration that has a direct impact.

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Bird

This lake has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it usually supports a large number of hooded plovers and sometimes more than 1% of the world population from the twisted stage. There have been many migrant and native birds. Between 1997 and 2006, populations between 12 and 12,000 of banded stents were recorded. There are populations between 5 and 68 hooded plovers from 1995 to 2005.

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia