Why did this Antarctic pond turn bright purple?

Nobody really knows.

In the last few weeks, there have been several reports of snow and water turning red, for example in Antarctica, Kazakhstan and in Russia.

But, a few days ago, scientists were left completely baffled when a pond of water near Palmer Station has turned bright purple overnight…

And they even asked Twitter for an explanation… Do you know why?

Scott Hotaling, PhD student, came across the mysterious purple pond while working on Humble Island off the coast of Antarctica and known as an important birding habitat for penguins.

The small lake is located near Palmer Station, is very close to the ocean and appears shallow.

Could the purple color be linked to the nearby penguin colonies? Maybe.

I would bet on a bloom of purple bacteria, like other scientists on Twitter:

There are indeed many extreme microbes and bacteria that are commonly found in Antarctica and love to color water or ice in different colors. By the way, have you ever heard of the Blood Falls in Antarctica? More mysterious natural phenomena on Strange Sounds.