--- title: "Residents Alarmed When Pond Turns Bright Pink" description: "A small pond in Hawaii has turned an alarmingly bright shade of pink, alarming local residents and environmentalists." date: "2023-11-14" modified: "2023-11-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hawaii-pond-bright-pink" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "bacteria" - "droughts" - "Hawaii" - "the digest" --- # Residents Alarmed When Pond Turns Bright Pink ![A small pond in Hawaii has turned an alarmingly bright shade of pink, alarming local residents and environmentalists.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## PondaVision A pond in Hawaii has turned an alarmingly bright shade of pink, alarming local residents. As [*CNN* reports](), the coastal salt marsh at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge has been bright pink for at least two weeks now, an apparent result of an extreme drought causing water levels to drop, consequently sending the salinity of the water to twice that of the ocean. "I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, 'There's something weird going on over here,'" Bret Wolfe, the refuge manager, [told the *Associated Press*](). According to a [notice]() by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the high salt contents likely allowed a type of single-celled organism called halobacteria, which produces the pink color, to flourish. While it may look like a fantasy world come to life, the color change has environmental scientists deeply worried for the local ecosystem. "It’s basically a flashing red light that the ecology of this area is being gravely distressed," Shiladitya DasSarma, a microbiology professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, [told the *New York Times*](). https://twitter.com/AP/status/1723097149288976527 ## Hawaii Dry-O Fortunately, the salinity-loving organisms, which also thrive in other areas like the [Great Salt Lake]() in Utah and the [Dead Sea](), don't appear to be toxic. The University of Hawaii is now investigating the situation and trying to pin down the "exact strain of the halobacteria," per the Fish and Wildlife Service. "As a precautionary measure, we recommend that people keep a safe distance and not enter the water, don’t consume any fish from the water, and ensure that pets don’t drink the water," the notice reads. Much of Maui has been suffering from a severe drought. Per the [US Drought Monitor](), much of the island is experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions. Worse yet, scientists suspect the situation will only get worse as global temperatures rise due to climate change. Even Hawaii, with its humid coastal landscapes and rainforests, can fall victim to these changes. "This has been seen more commonly around the world, but one doesn’t think of Hawaii — it’s not an arid part of the world," DasSarma told the *NYT*. **More on Hawaii:** *[Netflix Camera Boat Attacked by Swarm of Furious Sharks]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()