Lake Retba- on verge of extinction

January 22, 2024

Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located near Dakar, Senegal (West Africa).
It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level.
The lake is isolated from the sea by about 1km of sand dunes.
Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which are higher than the lake.
Thus the sea provides most of the lake’s water and all of its salt.
The lake’s waters are virtually devoid of life, with the exception of a few microscopic algae and bacteria.
The Pink Lake is one of the main tourist destinations in the Dakar region, primarily because of the pink colour of its waters.
- The pink coloration is due to the proliferation of halophilic green algae (living in a salty environment), Dunaliella salina, which contain red pigments.