Unusual Pink Color Appears at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui, Hawaii – Experts Investigate

At the end of October, a highly unusual event occurred at the animal reserve “Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge” – on Maui Hawaii.

One dam changed its color to bright pink. The staff at the reserve have been monitoring the water since. Scientists advise people against both going into the water and drinking from it, write AP News.

After pictures of the pink pond appeared on social media, curious visitors have flocked to the park.

– We prefer that they come to hear about our mission to preserve native and threatened waterfowl, and restoration of wetlands. But no, they are here to look at the pink water, joked the manager of the animal reserve, Bret Wolfe, to the American news agency.

The drought on Maui may have contributed to the unusual color, writes AP News.

Visible from space

Must carry out analysis

Initially, Wolfe was concerned that the bright pink color was a sign of an algae bloom in the pond, but testing showed that toxic algae was not the culprit. Instead, red mite bacteria may be the culprit.

These are single-celled organisms that thrive in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The salt content in the Kealia dam’s outlet area is currently twice as high as normal seawater, writes AP News.

According to Wolfe, the laboratory must conduct a DNA analysis to identify the organism.

Need rain

The drought also probably contributes to the situation. Usually, a stream flows into the pond, raising the water level, but according to Wolfe, that hasn’t happened in a long time.

If it rains, the stream can fill up and flow in, thus reducing the salinity, and possibly changing the color of the water.

– That could be what causes the color to disappear, says the manager of the animal reserve.

Despite periods of drought and high salinity in the past, none of the staff have seen the pond turn pink before, and Wolfe is unsure why the color has changed now.

2023-11-10 20:03:11
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