VOA新闻杂志2023--Body of Water in Hawaii Mysteriously Turns Bright Pink

Body of Water in Hawaii Mysteriously Turns Bright Pink

A small body of water in Hawaii has turned such a bright pink it could have been used as a set for the movie Barbie. But the unusual color-changing event has some experts concerned.

Scientists say extreme dry weather, or drought¹, may be the reason for the color. For now, they are warning people not to enter the body of water, called a pond, and not drink from it.

Workers at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge² on the island of Maui have been watching the pink water since October 30.

"I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, ‘There's something weird³ going on over here,'" said Bret Wolfe, who leads the refuge.

Wolfe was concerned the bright pink could be a sign of an event called an algae⁴ bloom⁵. An algae bloom happens when simple plants called algae grow out of control and cause harmful effects on humans and animals.

But lab tests found harmful algae was not causing the color. So investigators⁶ started looking at an organism⁷ called halobacteria as a possible cause.

Halobacteria are a kind of single-celled organism that do well in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The amount of salt inside the Kealia Pond area is currently⁸ greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the amount of salt in seawater. Wolfe said the lab will need to perform DNA⁹ research in an effort to identify the organism.

Researchers feel that Maui's drought is likely adding to the situation. Normally¹⁰, another body of water called Waikapu Stream feeds into the pond and raises water levels there. But Wolfe said that has not happened in a long time.

When it rains, water flows from Waikapu Stream into the pond and then into the wider area that is now pink. This reduces the amount of salt and could possibly change the water's color.

"That might be what makes it go away," Wolfe said.

None of the workers, or even some volunteers who have been around for 70 years, have seen the pond this color before. It has been through periods of drought and has had high amounts of salt before. But Wolfe is not sure why the color has changed now.

Visitors have come to the area after photos of the pink pond appeared on social media.

Wolfe said he would love to have visitors come to learn about local aims to protect nature. He joked, "But no, they're here to see the pink water."

He understands everyone's interest. "If that's what gets them there, it's OK," he said.

The wildlife area is a wetland that protects endangered birds like the Hawaiian stilt¹¹ and the Hawaiian coot. It also protects birds that are traveling to warmer areas in the winter.

The water does not appear to be harming the birds, Wolfe said.

As a protected area, people are not supposed to enter the pond or let their animals in the water. But officials have issued a special warning for people not to enter the water or eat any fish caught there.

Words in This Story

beach - n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake

weird - adj. very unusual or strange

 

endangered - adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely

1 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

2 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

3 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

4 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

5 bloom   

n.花，花期；vi.开花；容光焕发，显露出健康

参考例句：

• The park is a picture when flowers are in bloom.当鲜花盛开时，这个公园的景色美极了。
• The flowers in the garden are now in full bloom.花园里的花盛开。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 organism   

n.生物，有机体；(如生物的)机体、有机组织

参考例句：

• The economy is not a mechanical device but a living organism.经济不是一套机械装置,而是活的有机体。
• Selection will root out such organism.自然选择将把这些物种消灭掉。

8 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

9 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

10 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

11 stilt   

n.高跷，支柱

参考例句：

• They inhabit reed huts built on stilts above the water.他们住在建于水中木桩之上的芦苇草屋里。
• Thatch hut is raised high above the paddy field on stilt.茅草屋用柱高高地建在稻田之上。