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Nov 22, 2007 10:16

I ran a search on the archives and didn't see this posted anywhere, but if it's a repost(or if it's not WTF enough; this is more "ooh,neat!" than "WHAT") I'll delete it.



[full size]

This is the Morning Glory pool, found in Yellowstone National Park. When the pool was discovered it was entirely blue, similar in color to the flower that gave it its name and almost entirely populated with various Archaea, extremophiles that are very often found in environments that are very hot, though there are species that live in areas of extreme cold, high or low pH, or hypersalinity.

The rings of yellow and red around the top highlight areas where the water in the spring has cooled, mostly due to tourists tossing in coins, trash, and rocks that block the thermal vents at the bottom. When the heat is lowered in these places the Archaea can no longer survive and species of cyanobacteria, yellow-green algae and the like move into the cooler water.

While it's certainly a shame seeing something like this altered by careless tourists, the visible change in temperature and inhabitability is very cool(which is part of why it stood out to me).

morning glory pool, yellowstone, pollution, archaea

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