Turkish Lake Has Turned Blood Red

A lake in Turkey has turned a crimson red color, due to Dunaliella salina algae that lives in the lake rapidly blossoming.

A marine species of algae, found in freshwaters all over the world, Dunaliella Salinas algae blossoms seasonally. Usually, D. salina is a green color, however, in conditions like the ones found in Tuz Golu lake – high salinity and large amounts of natural light - the algae can turn red due to the production of protective carotenoids within the cells.

Photographer Murat Oner Tas captured these impressive images on July 16, 2015, as the 600-mile-across lake completely changed color.