pretty in pink

[arthurking83]

Not a particularly pretty area, which is not far from the heart of Melbourne's CBD .. about 1-2 klms or so.



just to the right is the Westgate bridge, which is about the only real thoroughfare from the west.
Under this bridge is what can only be described as a wasteland .. transport hubs, shipping docks, industrial/manufacturing area, swamp .. etc.

One word that is far removed from your mind when in this area is the term pretty! 
This area is part of the swamp area. It has a very slightly strong aroma on the nose. About 500m away is the entrance to the Yarra river into Melbourne, and with that is a large mangrove swamp. Many ships traverse that area every day with their cargo.
On this, lake, side of the river/mouth are a small series of lakes about 500m or less in diameter.
Why this lake is so vividly pink I don't know. I have photographed this location a few years back and it was the normal green colour .. looked like algae or something.
The other lakes which are all closer to the river/mouth and hence swamp are all still green, with various biological growths manifesting in and on their waters .. but not all note even close to this strange and vivid pink hue.
From memory, I think this pink colouration may have only started about a year or so ago .. maybe two.
One thing is certain tho, it looks to be caused by a salt deposit. No growth along the waters edge whatsoever, whereas the slimy algae infested lake I photographed a few years back did have some bushes growing along the very edge.
Those bushes are now all dead(as I remember them).
But to be sure this is probably a very slightly demure rendering of the actual vividness of the colour of the water, but it gives you an idea.
Some reduction in colour and saturation is caused by the glare in the water, and the option of a CPL on the Sigma 12-24 is beyond my means.

Pink lakes(and salt lakes in general) are a bit of a weakness of mine.
I have been too and seen various other pink lakes around the country(that I've discovered ..,. so not all!) and the one that comes to mind that is close to a decent shade of proper pink is one about 400klms to the north of Melbourne(in semi arid country) .. it's actually called Pink Lake, and at Easter time I attempted to get to it.
I've seen it before .. long time ago, and I can't remember it being anywhere near as vivid as is this lake at the moment.

here's another angle, with the Westgate bridge in view.

[Jakov Minić]

Arthur, your pictures are pretty in pink.
I hope the pinkness is not going to turn out to be an ecological disaster...

[armando_m]

Intriguing colouring

since all bushes in the shore died, I'll guess swiming is out of the question?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Could be a bloom of sulphur-consuming bacteria or even some algae?

This is a pretty and unusual sight whatever the underlying cause.

[Gary]

I agree with both Jakov and Bjorn, I hope this isn't a tip of an ecological disaster. But if this is a regular natural occurrence, then probably not a man made ecological disaster. There are many algae and aquatic microorganisms with a reddish-brown pigment. A bloom of this nature will change the color of the water. (Typically, the reddish-brown pigment is a defense against sunburn.) In SoCal we often (once a year or so) have what we call a Red Tide, where the waves are a reddish-brown color. The high concentration of life in these blooms creates a high concentration of toxins and a depletion of oxygen endangering the population of other aquatic/marine life. Your pink lakes have intrigued me. I would like to investigate more. The abundance of pink lakes in country as well governed as Australia leads me to think that they may be more naturally occurring than a manifestation of man's pollution. But who knows?  One would presume that a waterway pollution of such unusual color and so close to an urban center would be cause for government alarm and action.

I love the images, especially #1 tells a great story. For me, I'd crop the sky down in both images to place more emphasis on the water. The overcast skies do bring a harboring of foreboding to the images ... but with pink lakes you really don't need more foreboding elements.       

[arthurking83]

Thanks for the comments guys.

This statement found from Parks Victoria:

A statement on the Parks Victoria website said the ''natural interaction of a harmless, single-cell alga and halobacterium'' was responsible for the change in colour. ''There is no indication the bacterium is dangerous, but we advise people not to come into contact with the water,'' it said.

but it also said:

The lakes are expected to return to their normal colour in autumn.

This was back in summer '14(Dec 13 - Feb 14) .. and it's now winter '15.
So a change back is looking less likely.

Apparently pink lakes are common around the world.
I know of a few in Aus, and as already said, I've been to another one in outback Victoria, which is approx 4-5hour drive from Melbourne.
That one is naturally pink, and has been for as long as I've known it too(most likely far longer than 200+ years of European settlement here .. and I guess how it got it's name.

What is strange with this one in Melbourne tho is how it became so salty and/or affected by the algae, and the others didn't .. considering the geography.
There are no industrial waste inlets anywhere and it's nigh on impossible for any dumping of such wastes either(due to access).

Link to an article on the lake with another image with a similar perspective.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/port-melbournes-westgate-park-lakes-turn-pink-20140304-345b6.html

You can see the remnants of one of the busy plants that once lined the water's edge, where in mine none exist, and even tho I cropped mine, the shore is totally devoid of any plants or remnants of plants other than a few small twigs as in my second image.

[knb]

That first picture has a toxic look to it, the dark sky adds to that. Nice photo too. Never seen pink lakes around here.

[Gary]

Thanks for the update.