A salt lake in Yuncheng, often called China’s “Dead Sea

A salt lake in Yuncheng, often called China’s “Dead Sea

By Onlykhabar News Media Sun 18 October, 2020 ( about 5 years ago ) 🎤978 Viewersstory

A salt lake in Yuncheng, often called China’s “Dead Sea,” has tourists flocking to it for an unusual reason.

The rare phenomenon is caused by the algae species Dunaliella salina, which NASA has reported appears green in marine environments but can turn red if exposed to conditions of high salinity and light intensity due to “the production of protective carotenoids in the cells.” Carotenoids are the plant pigments responsible for the lake’s brightly colored hues. It can be found in saline lakes around the world, in places such as Chile, Australia, Mexico, and Israel.  A study done on the unique algae species by faculty at the University of Concepción, Chile says that D. salina is presently the most salt-tolerant eukaryote (any organism that possesses a clearly defined nucleus) known. 

D. salina’s rich color makes it a popular food coloring agent and additive in cosmetics. It is also used in multivitamins.  It is the world’s third largest sodium sulfate inland lake, covering an area of 120 square kilometers.  But while the black mud in the Dead Sea is chloride-based, Yuncheng’s is sulfate-based and can support a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Israel’s famed Dead Sea,  Yuncheng’s salt lake is rich in minerals that said to be beneficial for the skin.  As more algae continue to grow,

sometimes reaching counts of millions of cells per milliliter, other forms of life are choked out. Those other life forms begin to die and are then decomposed by bacteria in the water. Many fish and aquatic insects cannot survive in such conditions.  All of that decay depletes the oxygen available in the water. 

By :  AUSTA SOMVICHIAN - CLAUSEN

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By Onlykhabar News Media Sun 18 October, 2020 🎤978 Viewersstory
TAGS: China Dead Sea Salt Lake
A salt lake in Yuncheng, often called China’s “Dead Sea

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