Hawaiian Pond Turns Pink
A pond in Hawaii turned pink and this left residents baffled. Because this pool instantly turned pink for the first time.
Launching the Daily Star, on Thursday (11/16/2023), the change of the pool to pink occurred at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui, Hawaii. Volunteers who have worked for 70 years in the park said this was the first time.
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| Shad Hanohano, Leilani Fagner and their daughter, Meleana Hanohano, at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui on Wednesday (Photo: Mathew Thayer/The Maui News, via Associated Press) |
Wildlife sanctuary manager Bret Wolfe said he didn't realize at first anything was happening to the water. Until a local who was walking on the bank told him.
This Color Change Is Unusual and a Sign of Severe Environmental Stress
Some people consider this change encouraging, while Bret Wolfe considers it something worrying. In addition, social media users even joked and dubbed this phenomenon as Barbie's pool.
"There's something strange going on here," Bret Wolfe said.
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This color change is unusual and although scientists are still unsure about the cause, they believe that it is for negative reasons.
On the other hand, some areas in Hawaii are currently experiencing severe drought, including Maui. This place has been struggling to get water for a while. Experts say that drought could be the cause of the pond's discoloration.
Initially, toxic algae were also allegedly the cause of this color change. If this happens, this pond will endanger existing wildlife. However, tests are soon performed to look for the cause of this. Laboratory testing showed zero results.
Scientists theorize that organisms called halo bacteria may be the problem. Although not proven to be the cause, halobacteria are a type of organism that thrives in water with a high salt content, such as Kealia Pool.
The proteins that organisms eat produce pigments that turn them pink. The sheer amount of these organisms is enough to turn an entire pond pink like chewing gum.
Although it looks so beautiful, it can be a sign of severe environmental stress.
The salt content in the pond today is twice as high as seawater, but Bret claims that the pool has experienced periods of high salt content before and has never experienced this problem.
Although DNA analysis still needs to be done, Bret is concerned that this could be a negative impact of climate change.
As a result of this, visitors have been warned not to approach or go into the water. There are also strict rules not to touch or eat fish that have been caught from this pond.