Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Laguna Ojo de Liebre, a coastal lagoon in the northwestern Baja California Sur state of Mexico.

The photograph was captured by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) while orbiting over the Baja Peninsula on December 16, 2022. According to NASA, the lagoon is a large salt producer and a destination for ecotourists.

“Several evaporation ponds used for salt production occupy much of the area shown in the photograph. Salt is produced by channeling saltwater from the lagoon into the ponds,” says NASA.

“Sunlight and wind promote evaporation, leaving behind a salty brine, which is then moved to neighboring ponds with dikes for additional evaporation. Salt crystallization is the last step of the process.”

“While the ponds often appear green, many of the ponds appear red here. Salt evaporation ponds can range in hue between red, green, and blue depending on the time of year, water conditions, and the mixture of microorganisms in the water.”

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor

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