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The pond at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui, Hawaii, turned pink due to the drought. /CMG
A pond at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few coastal salt marshes on the Hawaiian island of Maui, has been bright pink recently due to extreme drought, according to CNN.
The water, which has been pink since October 30, has been sampled and sent to the University of Hawaii. The test suggested that an organism called halobacterium may be to blame.
Halobacteria, which are considered extremophiles, thrive in water with very high salt levels, like the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea.
So far, the pond's salinity has skyrocketed well beyond normal as there has been less freshwater flowing into it due to Maui's extreme drought, making the pond a cozy haven for the halobacteria. The Guardian on November 10 reported that the salinity inside the pond outlet area is currently greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the salinity of seawater.
The entire island is in severe or worse drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The area where the wildlife refuge is located is considered the second most severe on the Drought Monitor's scale.