By Justin Worland and TIME Photo
A salt lake in Turkey turned completely red as a result of an algae bloom.
Lake Tuz Gola, the country’s second-largest lake, has been evaporating in the hot summer, Stony Brook University marine ecology research professor Christopher Gobler told ABC News. The evaporation has killed plankton, which eat algae, allowing the sea organisms to thrive.
“The algae is thriving and will probably [be] red until the lake fully evaporates, probably next month during the peak of summer heat,” he said.
Tourists often walk across the dry lake during summer, and water returns in the winter.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com