Luc Rose

We made a detour to visit this lake. It wasn’t the right time of year so the water wasn’t pink. There was a local beachside cafe. We had delicious coffee

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Here are some factoids from wikipedia
Retba, also known as Lac Rose (meaning “pink lake”), lies north of the Cap Vert peninsula in Senegal, some 35 km (22 mi) north-east of the capital, Dakar, in northwest Africa. It is named for its pink waters caused by Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to 40% in some areas. Its colour is usually particularly strong from late January to early March, during the dry season; however, flooding in September 2022 not only disrupted salt harvesting activities on the lake, but because it caused the lake to lose its colour, had a negative effect on tourism.

The lake is situated 35 km (22 mi) north-east of Dakar, separated from the Atlantic Ocean only by a narrow corridor of dunes, and is named for its pink waters, which are caused by Dunaliella salina algae. The algae produce a red pigment to help them absorb sunlight, which gives them energy to create ATP. The color is particularly visible during the dry season (from November to May) and less visible during the rainy season (June to October)

Magenta-coloured samphire bushes flourish in the lake’s white sandbanks; the sand dunes are terra-cotta-coloured.l

About Author

Brian Ó hÚrdail

Old guy, soon to be a’knockin’ on heaven’s door; but not today! Wanting to see more and more of this beautiful green troubled world of ours. I love to travel overseas for 3 months of the year and the rest of the time either working as a psychotherapist in inner-city Dublin or travelling around Ireland in Saoirse, my vintage VW campervan.

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