The Waters Around You Trivia Quiz

Answer: Australia

Lake Hillier is a saline lake in Western Australia, famous for its pink color. The intense salinity of the lake means the only living organisms in it are microbial. One such organism is an algae, Dunaliella salina, that interacts with the salts to create a red dye, aiding in the vibrant pink hue of the lake. Though a lake as salty as the Dead Sea and full of algae dye may sound dangerous, this lake is safe to swim in. Tours and views of this beautiful lake are seldom up close and personal, however, and typically seen from a cruise ship or aerially.

Answer: Giant's Kettle

Caño Cristales is multi-colored much of the year because of crystal clear waters and vibrant plant life on the riverbed. The predominate color is red, but greens, blues, blacks, and yellows also abound throughout the river. The maturity of this plant is the reason for the coloration; young plants begin green, and turn to blues and yellows before they mature to a red plant. Rhyncholacis clavigera, as the plant is called, is only native to this river and sporadically in other nearby tributaries.

The giant's kettle is a natural formation that is caused when pebbles or small chunks of rock fall into a crevasse or other blockade in the riverbed. Because the current of the river is swift, it moves these rocks around, not enough to be removed, but enough to swirl around like a whirlwind and carve the crevasse into a larger hole. As it gets larger over time, new, larger rocks can fall into and continue the process until, after much natural rock and water erosion, you're left with a giant's kettle!

Answer: Volcano

Tiwu Ata Mbupu, Tiwu Nua Muri Kooh Tai and Tiwu Ata Polo are three volcanic crater lakes collectively known as the Kelimutu Lakes. Because of volcanic activity beneath the surface of these crater lakes, mineral deposits alter the colors of the water. A unique feature with these three lakes in particular is that each one has their own vent system beneath, all stemming from the same volcano, but because they are not connected in any other way, the color of the waters change independently of each other. Tiwu Ata Mbupu is pictured here, and is usually a blue hue. The other two are most often green and red in color.

It is said that the change in color is unpredictable, though that may not be entirely accurate; the lack of scientific recording of the area would account for much of the knowledge gaps in the changes visible on the surface of the underground volcanic activity.

Answer: Flamingo

Lake Natron in Tanzania is a brilliant red/pink color because of the salt-eating Spirulina in the water. This algae is a favorite food of the lesser flamingo, and is also the source of the flamingo's pink coloration. Most other animals stay away from this highly caustic lake, which is perfect for the flamingo to breed happily without concern of predators. The lake is partially fed by nearby hot springs, and the mineral-rich, warm waters near the inlet are home to two fish species as well.

Because it can be so hot in the area, a lot of evaporation has also caused the lake to form natron (sodium bicarbonate, called soda ash) deposits, giving the lake its name.

The lake's unique ecosystem was given much more international prominence when Disneynature released the 2008 documentary "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos".

Answer: Rio Celeste

Costa Rica is a country abundant with wonderful river activities. Some of these rivers are great for whitewater rafting, some for birdwatching and kayaking, and some even for crocodile tours. Rio Celeste, however, is a fantastic destination in the beautiful Tenorio Volcano National Park. The volcano itself is the main attraction of the park, but the waterfall and turquoise waters are only an hour-long hike from the entrance.

The turquoise color comes from a specific natural reaction from the two rivers that feed Rio Celeste. Buenavista River and Sour Creek converge to form Rio Celeste; Buenavista contains aluminosilicate particles, and when they merge with Sour Creek's acidic volcanic waters, the extreme change in pH causes the particles to undergo a process called Mie scattering. This sudden change gives the water its natural turquoise hue.

Answer: Star Wars

Chott el Djerid is a salt lake that is usually dried up during the hottest of summer, and small tributaries slowly refill the lake during the winter. When dried, the chott is an expanse of white salt flats. Once the water begins to refill, the salt-eating algae and minerals in the water create a wide variety of colors. As you can see in the picture, some of this algae is pink (by no coincidence, this chott is a popular flamingo breeding ground), but as water levels rise, other vibrant colors such as greens and purples also become visible as minerals change and other algae are introduced. Mirages are also known to create different color displays on the water's surface.

"Star Wars" (1977) was largely filmed in Tunisia for the desert scenes of Tattooine, and the famous Lars Homestead where Luke Skywalker grew up was filmed in the dry beds of Chott el Djerid!

Answer: Yellow River

The Yellow River flows across the Loess Plateau, and as it does, pulls in a large amount of sediment. Because of this, the water has become incredibly murky. In fact, the river was historically called the Murky River until around the 10th century, though the reason for changing to Huanghe (meaning yellow) is not known. With sediment and water, however, comes fantastic soil for agriculture. For this reason, the river has been called "China's Pride".

Unfortunately, the river basin tends to flood frequently (one estimate says it has flooded nearly 1600 times in 2500 years), also giving it the nickname of "China's Sorrow".

Answer: Rio Tinto

With a pH level of 2, the Rio Tinto is extremely acidic, which dissolves heavy metals. Though many heavy metals dissolve in the acidic river, the color comes primarily from the large amount of iron that it contains. It is not known how much of the acid drainage is naturally occurring and how much is due to human intervention. Ore mining has been prevalent in the region for 5,000 years, so it becomes difficult to judge how much acidity is naturally occurring, or how much of these heavy metals would dissolve without our interaction. Regardless, the pollution caused by this acidic red river causes a number of environmental concerns. Fortunately, after the fifty kilometers of corrosive waters, it begins to dissipate as other streams converge with Rio Tinto.

Answer: Arsenic

Laguna Verde is a peculiar lake because of the mineral content it contains. Arsenic, magnesium, copper and calcium are all present in the waters; these elements make the water extremely toxic, but give it a gorgeous color. As the winds blow across the lake, the minerals and elements continue to react, allowing the color to shift between the deep emerald and the bright turquoise.

The mineral deposits come from volcanic activity of the now dormant Licancabur, seen in the background of the picture.

Answer: Chicago River

In 1961, plumbers used bright green fluorescein dye to track the source of illegal pollution into the Chicago River. This gave them the idea to continue dying the river green every year for Saint Patrick's Day. Environmental concerns had them rethink the formula of the dye, however, and now a vegetable based powdered dye is used for the coloration. Because the idea was first proposed by plumbers, the ceremony is still sponsored by the local plumber's union.

In 2009, Michelle Obama, Chicago native, requested the fountains of the White House be dyed green for Saint Patrick's Day as well, having been inspired by the vibrant green of the Chicago River.