US Pond Turns Bubble-Gum Pink, Know the Reason

A pond in Hawaii in the US mysteriously turned bubble-gum pink. When the pictures of the pink-coloured pond went viral on social media, it became a tourist spot

Volunteers at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui say the water of the pond was first noticed to have turned pink on October 30.

Keālia Pond in PINK! https://t.co/3M0FOjSvbL

This phenomenon is attributed to the proliferation of halobacteria, a type of single-celled organism. Halobacteria flourish in environments with high salt concentrations. #maui #hawaii pic.twitter.com/8vaPXWsWIo

— Maui Hawaii (@Maui) November 11, 2023

According to MauiHawaii.org, the source of the pink hue is due to the growth of a single-celled organism called halobacteria, which are known to thrive in high salinity conditions.

The salinity in Kealia Pond has been measured to be greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the salinity of seawater, providing an ideal environment for these halobacterias to breed and change the colour of the pond.

The visitors to the pond are advised to keep a safe distance from the water, avoid consuming fish from it, and prevent pets from playing or drinking the water. Interestingly the water of the pink pond doesn’t appear to be harming the birds.