Solar Salt Grassmere NZ
Seawater contains just over 2.5 per cent sodium chloride, together with significant amounts of other salt. Some 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of salt are harvested from Lake Grassmere each year. Sea water is pumped into the 688 hectare main lake continuously throughout summer.
This northward-looking view of Lake Grassmere shows the pink crystallisation ponds prominent in the foreground. Their coloration has two causes. First, the normally green micro algae (Dunaliella salina) that live in the brine form a red pigment known as haematochrome in high salt concentrations. The same algae give the Red Sea its name. Second, tiny pinkish-red shrimps (Artemia franciscana) – more commonly known as ‘sea monkeys’ – also inhabit the brackish waters. These small creatures are found in solar salt works all over the world. Original public domain image from Flickr