The Santa Cruz Mountains in San Mateo County rise at top as the San Francisco Salt Ponds near Alviso in Santa Clara County shine colorfully in the afternoon sunshine on Monday.
This photo was taken on a flight from New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport using an iPhone 14 ProMax. The ponds, noted for their vivid colors ranging from magenta to blue green, are especially visible from the air. The colors come from the brine shrimp and microorganisms that thrive in the different salinity levels in the ponds.
At first production was predominantly small family operations but over time these were replaced by companies such as the Oliver Salt Co. in Mount Eden and Leslie Salt in Newark. Eventually, Cargill bought out the companies to become the dominant producer in the area. Each pond along the way has a different salt level, creating a variety of habitats that each support different micro-organisms that are responsible for the colors, from the Dunaliella algae that turn the water a vibrant shade of green early in the process all the way to the creatures that thrive in the saltiest ponds, like the brine shrimp that produce bright oranges and yellows and the Halobacteria that create a deep magenta.
Additionally, the salt ponds support more than 1 million waterbirds throughout the year, hosting more than 75 species, and peaking at 200,000 birds in a single salt pond during the winter and spring migration season.Ask Amy: I got a mysterious invitation from a teen I never metAsk Amy: Co-worker has a heavy box, and my questions about it are heavierSunnyvale Art and Wine Festival canceled this yearAsk Amy: I found out my son's friend is my son, too. It hasn't gone well.
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