San Francisco Bay salt flats Aug 6, 2022

San Francisco Bay salt flats

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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 26, 2025Manatee Appreciation Day
Jul 8, 2025Seceda, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy
Sep 16, 2022Puma in Patagonia
Feb 10, 2020This park is Superkilen
Apr 16, 2023Go Fly a Kite Day
Jun 19, 2018Dancers perform ‘Revelations’
Apr 9, 2018The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve in Siberia, Russia
Dec 21, 2020Shadows on the solstice
Mar 2, 2020And to think that I saw it in Cappadocia
Jan 25, 2024Ruins of St. Dwynwens Church, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales
Apr 27, 2018National Park Week: Yosemite National Park, California
Dec 23, 2022Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
Jul 19, 2022National Bison Month
May 7, 2023World Laughter Day
May 10, 2024Misool, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
Nov 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Nov 23, 2024Fibonacci Day
Jun 11, 2024Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
Oct 10, 2021A shell of many colors
Jun 27, 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Apr 25, 2018National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
Nov 6, 2020Life in the slow lane
Apr 13, 2022Mitsumata blossoms
Dec 23, 2024Celebrating Festivus
Aug 2, 2019An uncommon look at an American icon
Nov 12, 2020Upstate autumn
May 21, 2022Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Jun 19, 2019Glendurgan Garden hedge maze is 186 years old
Apr 22, 2021Gazing down on planet Earth
Aug 21, 2021Ambassadors of the airwaves