Soaring temperatures have made the Yuncheng Salt Lake in north China's Shanxi Province turn into a vibrant sea of glowing colors in recent days. 

Aerial shots revealed a startling palette of predominantly red colors across the expansive lake covering an area of over 132 square kilometers. The lake is also known as the "Dead Sea of China" due to its high salt levels. 

The lake's striking appearance in recent days is due to the chemical reactions of minerals and organisms such as algae and shrimps, together with the continuous high temperatures and sufficient sunlight. 

"If there are many brine shrimps, the water is red. And if there's a high density of rotifers (a microscopic aquatic animal), then it's purple. It is also related to the salinity. The water will be green with a relatively low salinity, in the form of green algae, while the water turns to orange and red with high salinity," said Ding Hongxia, head of the Institute of Salt Lake and Health Research at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. 

Moreover, as temperatures continue to rise, the colors are becoming even more vibrant as more water evaporates from the lake. 

Situated at an elevation of 324.5 meters above sea level, the Yuncheng Salt Lake is one of the three great sodium sulfate inland salt lakes in the world. The other two are the Great Salt Lake in the U.S. state of Utah and Lake Kuchuk in Russia's Siberia. 

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Aerial view of salt lake in north China's Shanxi

Yuncheng Salt Lake, China's Dead Sea

(Cover image via VCG.)

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