Lake Urmia has been observed turning various shades of red.

Axar.az reports, citing Iranian media, that West Azerbaijan Province’s Director General of Environmental Protection, Hojat Jabbari, said the change in water color was caused by rising salt concentrations in parts of the lake as water levels decrease and evaporation increases.

He explained that under such conditions, the single-celled alga Dunaliella salina, which is adapted to highly saline environments, can become more active and produce pigments such as beta-carotene, contributing to orange and red hues in the water. Other salt-tolerant microorganisms may also play a role.

Jabbari said that the color change is a natural phenomenon that occurs seasonally every year. He added that investigations were underway to determine which specific group of algae or microorganisms was responsible for the current change in color.