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See the Incredible Changing Colors of ‘China’s Dead Sea’

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Salt Lake Looks Like Color Palette In Yuncheng
Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
By Kenneth Bachor

In Yuncheng, China, as temperatures rise in the spring, a salt lake known as the “China’s Dead Sea” changes colors and has become a popular tourist attraction.

The lake, which is said to be 500 million years old and spans approximately 120 square km., changes colors, particularly red, due to microorganisms called Dunaliella salina, a microalgae that appears in salt lakes in countries including the U.S., France and Iran.

In the case of Iran’s Lake Urmia, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory: “In the marine environment, Dunaliella salina appears green; however, in conditions of high salinity and light intensity, the microalgae turns red due to the production of protective carotenoids in the cells.”

An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017. As temperature rises in Spring, the color of Salt Lake changes.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017. As temperature rises in the spring, the color of Salt Lake changes. Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.
An aerial view of a world-renowned inland salt lake known as the "Dead Sea of China" in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, on March 20, 2017.Shang Jianzhou—VCG/Getty Images

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