Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Lake Retba, Senegal




Just 13 miles northeast of Dakar, Senegal, lies an oddly colored lake pinched off from the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Retba (also known as Lac Rose) is only about 1.1 sq. mi. big and is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a couple of sand dunes. What makes it stand out is its odd color.



The lake’s average salinity is about 40% (400 grams of dissolved salts per 1 liter), making more than 10 times more saline than most oceans, whose salinity is on average 3.5% (35 grams per 1 liter). During the dry season, higher evaporation rates result in salinity much higher than the Dead Sea’s.




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