Topics Covered: Conservation related issues.
Why Lonar Lake turned pink?
Context:
Maharashtra’s Lonar Lake had turned Pink in June this year. Lakhs of people including the scientists were curious about this colour-change.
What’s the reason behind colour change?
- It was due to a salt-loving bacteria (red-coloured archaeal strains classified as halophilic archaea or haloarchaea). It is associated with high salinity and alkalinity (pH).
- Pink colour of the water was not permanent- Once the biomass of the microbes settled at the bottom, the water became transparent during one such experiment at the labs.
These findings are based on a report by Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune, an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology.
Other Factors:
Absence of rain, less human interference and high temperature resulted in the evaporation of water which increased its salinity and pH.
The increased salinity and pH facilitated the growth of halophilic microbes, mainly Haloarchae.
Finding related to flamingos:
During the investigation, researchers also came across an interesting incidental finding related to flamingos that visit the lake.
- The plumage of the bird is pink or reddish in colour because of ingestion of carotenoids-rich food.
- This bacteria, which produces a pink pigment, is ingested by these birds and they get carotenoid-rich food, because of that their plumage is pink in colour.
Insta Facts:
- Lonar crater lake was identified as a unique geographical site by a British officer named CJE Alexander in 1823.
- It is an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike in Maharashtra.
- Lonar crater became a geo-heritage site in 1979.
- Lonar Lake lies within the only known extraterrestrial impact crater found within the great Deccan Traps, a huge basaltic formation in India (Source:Wikipedia).
Sources: the Hindu.
