These #multicolored salt #lakes, #ponds, and #playas in the San Francisco #bay are one of nature's most #breathtaking natural #phenomenons.⠀ ⠀ The intense #coloration is caused by #astronomical numbers of #microscopic, single-celled #organisms living in the water. As rain falls on distant #mountains, floods rush down hills, eroding #minerals along the way, and gather in basins, eventually drying up in warmer weather, leaving just salt and #minerals behind.⠀ ⠀ The #microorganisms that inhabit each pool or pond react to the various levels of salt content, triggering reactions in the form of almost #surreal coloration. In a coral pink or deep red pond, you'll find rod-shaped, salt-loving #Halobacterium and Dunaliella alga. The red pigment they produce protects their delicate cells from the intense #desert sunlight, and is similar to carotenoids found in #tomatoes 🍅, red peppers, and even pink #flamingos 💕. A low salt content pond, on the other hand, is dominated by green #algae, and pre...