San Francisco Bay salt flats Aug 6, 2022

You might be wondering where the volcano is in today"s photo, but that"s not lava. These are salt flats in San Francisco Bay—many of these tidal marshes have been developed into evaporation ponds for the harvest of sea salt. If you happen to be in the air and flying over this part of the country, you"ll notice pools of not just bright orange but green, blue, and even magenta among the famous salt ponds. The vibrant colors are determined by brine shrimp, algae, and other microorganisms and their responses to different levels of salt. This orange results from a mid-level saline concentration and the presence of tiny brine shrimp in the water. Green indicates low levels of salt, while pink or red are signs of high salt content in an algae-rich pond.

© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Aug 6, 2018Jamaica celebrates its independence
Aug 6, 2019Storks ready for takeoff
Aug 6, 2020Space-age style by the sea
Aug 6, 2021Looking down upon Edinburgh
Aug 6, 2023Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan
Aug 6, 2024Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
Aug 6, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii
Aug 6, 2026Migrating wildebeest crossing Mara River in Masai Mara, Kenya

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Mar 14, 2022Pi Day
Mar 4, 2025Happy Fat Tuesday!
Feb 17, 2019Flock online for the Great Backyard Bird Count
Apr 19, 2024Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
Apr 16, 2018The Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique
Mar 13, 2020Jerte Valley in bloom
May 2, 2025Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
Dec 23, 2020Swimming into the season
May 23, 2023World Turtle Day
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Jul 19, 2018Cosplay strongly encouraged
Jan 31, 2023Burchells zebras for International Zebra Day
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Aug 14, 2020In the Navajo Nation for Code Talkers Day
Jul 23, 2022National Moth Week
Apr 24, 2019Cool water in the Quinault
Aug 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day
Aug 17, 2025International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
Feb 29, 2024Leap day
Aug 16, 2023Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
Dec 29, 2025St. Gregory Church in Ani Ruins, Kars, Türkiye
Feb 6, 2025Waitangi Day in New Zealand
Dec 24, 2020Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
Aug 8, 2019Spot on for International Cat Day
Jan 5, 2019Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
Nov 26, 2018A little bit of Wonderland in New York City
Dec 19, 2023Castle Square, Old Town, Warsaw, Poland
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland
Mar 2, 2022Mount Rainier National Park