fromMA

When I flew into San Francisco Intl last week I saw a geological or some feature in the bay just about a mile or 2 before landing. There seemed to be a number of large and very colorful lagoons (bright green, burgundy etc)and I couldnt for the life of me figure what I was seeing....any help from native San Franciscans?

sequoia370

Those are "salt ponds", evaporating pans for making salt from the sea-water of the bay. As the water evaporates and the salt concentration goes up, colorful salt-loving bacteria or algae or some such microorganism thrives, and that's what colors the water. They are not natural features, they were formed by flooding and damming marshland, but they do seem to provide habitat for waterfowl. They've been around for over a hundred years, but now much of the area has been sold to the state or federal government and is being restored to marshland. But at least some of the colorful salt ponds will remain.
http://www.cargill.com/sf_bay/saltpond_ecosystem.htm

fromMA

Many thanks sequoia.....it was driving me crazy!!

dovima

Dear fromMA,

Those salt ponds are curious, aren't they? I used to regularly take the early morning Amtrak run between Oakland and Salinas, and just about the time I'd be sitting down to breakfast in the dining car, we'd be passing them. A bright coral pink is the color I remember most. The salt ponds of the Southy Bay will always be connected in my mind with hot grits and eggs.

rkkwan

You'll see many of those, and of various colors, flying over the Great Salt Lake.