Hawaii Pond Turns Bright Pink, Scientists Might Know Why

The Barbie hype from this summer seems to have hit Hawaii’s Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. Scientists have been monitoring the pond as it takes on a bright pink color reminiscent of Pepto-Bismol and trying to determine the cause of the strange phenomenon. 

“I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, ‘There’s something weird going on over here,'” Bret Wolfe, the refuge manager, said of the discovery, per CBS News. At first, Wolfe believed the color was due to an algae bloom, but lab tests found toxic algae wasn’t the culprit. Instead, scientists believe an organism called halobacteria might be responsible. 

Halobacteria abound in bodies of water with high levels of salt. Keālia Pond’s salinity is currently higher than 70 parts per thousand—twice that of seawater. Maui‘s ongoing drought likely isn’t helping the situation, as Waikapū Stream, which normally feeds into and raises the water level of Keālia Pond, has stopped flowing into the area. 

While the pond has been through periods of drought and high salinity before, this color has never been seen before in the area, even by volunteers who have worked there for 70 years. The lab needs to conduct more DNA tests to confirm halobacteria is present and causing the color change. In the meantime, Wolfe and other refuge employees are managing an influx of curious visitors who want to see the pink water for themselves. 

“We prefer that they come to hear about our our mission conserving native and endangered waterbirds and our wetland restorations. But no, they’re here to see the pink water,” Wolfe joked. In the end, he’s just happy people are showing up. “If that’s what gets them there, it’s OK,” he said. “It is neat.”