A Recipe for Rosé Water
The startling pink hue of the Laguna Salada de Torrevieja is not caused by minerals or pollution, but by a precise biological recipe. The main cause is Dunaliella salina, a single-celled microalga that thrives in hypersaline environments. To protect itself from the intense solar radiation in the shallow water, this alga produces high concentrations of beta-carotene, the same orange-red pigment found in carrots.
The second organism is a tiny brine shrimp, Artemia salina. This crustacean is a halophile, an extremophile that flourishes in high-salt conditions, and is one of the few creatures that can withstand the lake's salinity, which can reach 350 grams of salt per liter, a concentration comparable to the Dead Sea. The Artemia are non-selective filter feeders, consuming the beta-carotene-rich Dunaliella salina. As they ingest the algae, the pigment accumulates in their bodies, turning the shrimp pink. The lake's overall color is the result of the massive populations of both the pigment-producing alga and the pink shrimp that feed on it.
This ecosystem is part of a larger salt production system. The adjacent La Mata lagoon has lower salinity and appears green. Seawater enters La Mata, where initial evaporation occurs. When the salt concentration reaches 120 grams per liter, the brine is transferred to the Torrevieja lagoon. Here, it evaporates further until it reaches 300 g/L, at which point the salt crystallizes and settles at the bottom, ready for harvesting. The lagoons collectively produce around 600,000 to 700,000 tons of salt annually.
An Ecosystem on the Edge
The Torrevieja and La Mata lagoons form a 3,743-hectare protected natural park, recognized as an important wetland for birdlife. The Artemia salina are a fundamental food source for numerous bird species. Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) flock to the area. The flamingos derive their famous pink coloration directly from their diet; they consume the brine shrimp, and the beta-carotene from the algae is then expressed in their feathers. Without this specific food chain, the flamingos would be grey or white.
The park is a critical habitat for over 100 other bird species, including the Black-necked Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, and Audouin's Gull. The area is designated as a Special Protection Area for Birds and a Ramsar Wetland, showing its international importance.
Salt extraction in this region has a long history, with archaeological evidence of Roman operations dating to the 1st century BC. The first documented records of salt extraction appear in the 13th century. For centuries, the industry has shaped the local economy, evolving from manual labor to a modern industrial operation that is one of the largest in Europe. The massive white mountains visible from the nearby N-332 road are not snow, but stockpiles of harvested salt awaiting export, much of it destined for de-icing roads in northern Europe.