The water in a swamp on Maui, Hawaii is turning reddish-purple/@Traviskeahi_photo/Instagram
2023.11.11 Sat posted at 13:50 JST
(CNN) The water in a swamp in a wildlife preserve on Maui, Hawaii, has turned a bright red-purple color. The marsh is one of the few salt marshes on the coast, and officials said the discoloration of the water began on the 30th of last month. This is said to have happened after an extreme drought caused the salt content of the marsh to rise sharply.
Analysis of water samples sent to the University of Hawaii suggested that the reddish-purple discoloration was caused by highly halophilic bacteria (Halobacteria). This was announced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Highly halophilic bacteria are single-celled organisms that thrive in extremely salty waters such as the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea. It is considered a so-called extremophile, and has the ability to survive in extreme environments. In this case, the salt content of the marsh water is twice that of ocean water, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The discolored Kealia Swamp is one of the few salt marshes on Maui’s coast./@Traviskeahi_photo/Instagram
Due to the effects of the drought, the amount of freshwater flowing into the Kealia Swamp has also decreased. This accelerated increase in salinity led to further proliferation of highly halophilic bacteria.
Approximately 90% of Maui County, including the islands other than Maui, is currently experiencing severe drought. The scale of the disaster has reportedly grown even further since the August wildfires in Lahaina, the island that killed many people.
Scientists are still studying the impact of the climate crisis on Hawaii, but overall they believe droughts will become more severe as global temperatures rise. This also applies to tropical regions like Hawaii.
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2023-11-11 04:50:00
