![]() ![]() The reason these birds choose Lake Natron as their breeding ground is that the extremely harsh and inhospitable conditions keep away predators. Increased numbers of cyanobacteria means more nests of lesser flamingoes.ġ5. They thrive on the cyanobacteria which grow in numbers when the salinity of the lake increases. About 2.5 million lesser flamingoes (a species of flamingoes) use the lake as their regular breeding ground. The lake also supports a few other life forms that include some endemic birds, invertebrates and algae.ġ4. It is this red pigment of the cyanobacteria that gives the characteristic red color to the open waters of the lake and orange color to the shallow water of the lake.ġ3. This bacterium has a red pigment that it uses for photosynthesis.ġ2. Most abundant halophile microbe at Lake Natron is the cyanobacteria. Halophiles are micro-organisms that thrive in salty conditions and use photosynthesis for making food. During summer months, the lake water evaporates significantly, thus increasing the overall salinity of the lake. The lava has low levels of magnesium and calcium and high levels of carbonate which makes the lake water a concentrated caustic alkaline brine.ġ0. The bed rock surrounding the lake belongs to the Pleistocene period and is composed of trachyte lava that is dominated by sodium content.ĩ. The alkalinity of the lake stays at an average level of 10.5 but there are times when the pH levels can reach as high as 12.Ĩ. The average temperature of the lake is 40˚C or 104˚F but occasionally, its temperature peaks at 60˚C.ħ. The lake is known for its consistent high temperature. It runs 57 kilometers in length and 22 kilometers in width but the width can occasionally vary depending on water level.Ħ. ![]() Despite its shallow depth, the lake is quite big in length and breadth. ![]() The maximum depth of the lake is 9.8 feet or 3 meters only.ĥ. When we say shallow, we mean pretty shallow. This shallow lake is also fed by hot springs that are rich in minerals. The principal feeder of this lake is Southern Ewaso Ng’iro River that originates in Central Kenya.Ĥ. It is a dead-end lake which means that the lake doesn’t drain into any river or sea.ģ. Located in Tanzania, Lake Natron is a soda lake or a salt lake that can be found in Arusha Region.Ģ. What did Brandt capture in his camera that makes this lake even spookier than what it already is? Let us 30 interesting Lake Natron facts that the story of Brandt to find the answers of these questions. This already weird lake was given a whole new creepy image by photographer Nick Brandt who captured some images that can rightly tagged as world’s most phantasmagorical photographs ever! So, what’s the big deal with this lake? The story of Lake Natron falls in this category. Everything that nature has to offer is dramatic in some sense or the other but at times all it takes a good photographer to add the extra dash of drama that keeps resonating in our brains. Mother Nature has numerous surprises in store for us. “You’d literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yard stretch.Looking for Lake Natron facts? Your search ends here. I saw entire flocks of dead birds all washed ashore together, lemming-like,” he says. During dry season, Brandt discovered, when the water recedes, the birds’ desiccated, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline. Brandt theorizes that the highly-reflective, chemical dense waters act like a glass door, fooling birds into thinking they’re flying through empty space (not long ago, a helicopter pilot tragically fell victim to the same illusion, and his crashed aircraft was rapidly corroded by the lake’s waters). ![]() A swallow © Nick Brandt 2013, Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, NYĪs you might expect, few creatures live in the harsh waters, which can reach 140 degrees Fahreinheit-they’re home to just a single fish species ( Alcolapia latilabris), some algae and a colony of flamingos that feeds on the algae and breeds on the shore.įrequently, though, migrating birds crash into the lake’s surface. ![]()
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