玫瑰湖：塞內加爾的粉紅奇跡

The Senegalese pink Lake Retba， known also as Lac Rose， is one and a half times higher than the Dead Sea and is a prime1） habitat for halobacterium2）， a type of single-celled halophile3） microorganism which is red or purple in colour.

The water of the lake actually changes from mauve4） to deep pink in colour， depending on the time of day and amount of sunlight. The amazing pink colouration is derived from its high salt concentration.

The lake is located in the Cap Vert Peninsula that lies northeast of Senegal's capital Dakar. The unusual appearance of the lake is caused by a salt-loving green micro alga5） called Dunaliella salina6） that resides in the lake， known for its high concentration of the mineral.

在塞內加爾有一個粉紅色的湖，名叫玫瑰湖（又稱Lac Rose），其海拔高度是死海的1.5倍。這里是嗜鹽桿菌的主要棲息地——嗜鹽桿菌是一種單細胞的喜鹽微生物，呈紅色或紫色。

實際上，受一天的時間以及光照量的影響，湖水的顏色會從淡紫色變成深粉色。造就這種粉紅色奇觀的根源是湖內的鹽分含量高。

玫瑰湖位于塞內加爾首都達喀爾東北部的佛得角半島上。它的這一別致景觀是由生活在湖中的一種名叫鹽生杜氏藻的綠色喜鹽微藻造成的，這種藻類因其體內積聚了大量礦物質而聞名。

The Amazing Algae

The water in Lake Retba always seems to have a pinkish hue7） to it.

It is obvious that very few organisms can survive in such highly saline8） conditions. The only reason this single-celled organism is able to do so， is because of its ability to create large amounts of Beta-Carotene9）， which helps to protect it against the intense light that reflects off the salt and also gives the algae its dark pink hue.

While the colour may make the lake appear eerie10） and unsafe， the microorganism is safe not only to swim amidst， but also， consume—good news for the locals that are constantly wading in to mine the salt. In fact， the algae are so rich in antioxidants11） that they are often harvested and used in cosmetics and dietary12） supplements.

Salt Collectors

Many salt collectors work 6～7 hours a day in the lake， which has a salt content close to 4%. In order to protect their skin， they rub their skin with shea butter13） （produced from shea nuts）， which is an emollient14） used to avoid tissue damage.

That is the dilemma facing visitors to one of the most amazing bodies of water15） on the planet. However， its blooming pink colour is one thing that tourists from all over the globe just cannot resist.

When to Visit

The lake is better visited during the dry summer months when the saline levels are high and you will see it turn strawberry pink and sometimes， even red. The good news is that colour is not the result of chemicals being dumped in the lake but nature， working its magical tricks！

神奇的水藻

玫瑰湖的湖水似乎總是帶有一種粉紅的色調。

很顯然，極少有生物能在鹽度如此高的環境下存活。而這種單細胞生物能夠做到這點的唯一原因就是它們可以產生大量的β-胡蘿卜素，它幫助這種水藻抵御從鹽反射回來的強光，同時也讓其披上了一層暗粉色。

盡管這種顏色可能使這片湖看起來有點怪異和危險，但這種微生物不僅對在湖中游泳的人無害，而且還可安全食用——這對那些經常涉水采鹽的當地人來說可是個好消息。實際上，這些水藻因富含抗氧化劑而經常被采集來用于生產化妝品和補充膳食的營養品。

采鹽人

在這片含鹽量接近4%的湖里，許多采鹽人每天會工作6～7個小時。為了保護皮膚，他們會擦上一種樹脂黃油（產自牛油果），一種用來避免組織損傷的潤膚霜。

這也是來此觀光的游客在面對這個世界上最令人嘆為觀止的水域之一時會面臨的一種進退兩難的選擇。可不管怎樣，玫瑰湖綻放的粉紅奇觀還是讓全球各地的游客無法抗拒。

游覽時間

最好在干燥的夏季來此參觀，那時湖水鹽度升高，你會看到湖泊變成草莓般的粉紅色，有時甚至會變成紅色。讓人欣慰的是，湖水顏色并不是化學物質傾倒入湖所致，而是大自然的神奇魔力使然！

1. prime [pra?m] adj. 主要的

2. halobacterium： 嗜鹽桿菌屬，其屬下的微生物生活在鹽湖、鹽場及腐敗的鹽制品等中性鹽環境中。

3. halophile [?h?l???fa?l] n. 適鹽生物，喜鹽生物

4. mauve [m??v] n. 淡紫色；深紫色

5. alga [??lɡ?] n. 水藻，海藻（其復數形式為algae）

6. Dunaliella salina： 鹽生杜氏藻，屬團藻目鹽藻科，是一種喜鹽的藻類生物。

7. hue [hju?] n. 顏色，色彩

8. saline [?se?la?n] adj. 鹽的；含鹽的

9. Beta-Carotene： 【生化】β-胡蘿卜素

10. eerie [???ri] adj. 怪異的；可怖的

11. antioxidant [??nti??ks?d?nt] n. 【化】抗氧（化）劑，防老（化）劑

12. dietary [?da??t?ri] adj. 飲食的；有關飲食的

13. shea butter： （用非洲酪脂樹種子制成的）樹脂黃油（可食用）。shea [??i??] n. 【植】非洲酪脂樹

14. emollient [i?m?li?nt] n. 潤膚霜；潤滑藥

15. body of water： 水體；貯水池