Incredible Photos of a Pond Turned Bright Pink Are a Warning

Photos and videos of a receding lake in Hawaii have flooded social media as its normally blue waters turned Pepto-Bismol pink. However, the underlying cause of this phenomenon at Maui's Kealia Pond is something far less rosy.

"Standing in front of the pink water made me feel like I was on a different planet, but then I grounded into the knowing that this is naturally occurring on Earth and I felt so grateful to be existing in this ecosystem," Molly Eichenberger, a Maui-based artist and video producer at I don't know baby, told Newsweek. "I have never seen this before in my life."

Pink lakes exist around the world and are colored by the unique blend of algae and bacteria that call their waters home. However, no one has ever seen the refuge pond turn this color before, not even volunteers who have been working there for 70 years, according to U.K. newspaper The Guardian.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge say that the vibrant water is most likely not caused by toxic algae. "It appears to be a single-celled organism called halobacteria," they added.

Halobacteria are a type of bacteria that thrive in intensely salty environments and emit a red pigment. While these are not inherently dangerous on their own, their presence does not bode well for the animals and plants that call Kealia Pond home.

"Although this is beautiful, we have to keep in mind that this is a huge shift for the ecosystem and that we need to all be mindful of our impact on the environment," Eichenberger said. "Maui's water supplies are a tricky topic that has screamed out for relief recently with the fires. This type of bacteria thrives in high salinity, and the dryness of the wetland lately could have contributed to this phenomenon."

The water at Kealia Pond now is twice as salty as seawater, according to staff. This high salinity is likely caused by the ongoing drought in Maui—as water in the pond evaporates, the salt inside becomes even more concentrated.

Bret Wolfe, refuge manager at Kealia Pond, told The Guardian that heavy rain will hopefully raise the water levels, reducing the salinity and returning the lake to its natural color.

In the meantime, the pink pool has drawn attention from all over the world, with many visitors flocking to the park to take photos.

"If that's what gets them there, it's OK," Wolfe said. "It is neat."