Laguna de Torrevieja, Spain  Jul 25, 2023

When we encounter bodies of water in nature, we might expect hues of blue, from the pale cyan shade of lagoons to the navy blue of deep lakes. But pink water—where on Earth could that be found? At (deep breath) El Parque Natural de Las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja in Alicante, Spain. Here, there are two lakes: one green and one pink, and it is the latter that you see on our homepage. The highly saline water, dotted with clusters of salt crystals, is the perfect environment for microscopic algae, which are rich in carotenes. This results in the rosy tinge that protects the algae from solar radiation. And the pink is just getting started, as the algae are eaten by tiny crustaceans, which turn pink and are then eaten by flamingos, which acquire the rosy hue as well.

© Juan Maria Coy Vergara/Getty Images

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