Salt evaporation pond facts for kids

A Salt evaporation pond is like a big, shallow pool made by people. It's usually found near the ocean. These ponds are filled with salty seawater. The sun and wind then make the water disappear, leaving the salt behind. This salt can then be collected. These special ponds are also home to many animals, especially birds.

Salt evaporation pond in Île de Ré, France

Natural salt evaporation ponds at Pedra de Lume, Sal island, Cape Verde

What Are Salt Ponds and How Do They Work?

Salt ponds, also called saltern ponds, are human-made pools. They are built to collect salt from seawater. First, salty water from the sea is let into these shallow ponds. Then, the sun and wind do their job. They cause the water to evaporate, or turn into vapor and go into the air. What's left behind is the salt. This salt can then be harvested, or gathered, for many uses.

The Amazing Colors of Salt Ponds

The color of a salt pond can tell you how much salt is in the water. It's like a natural color code!

• Green colors often come from special algae. These tiny plant-like organisms live in ponds with low to medium salt levels.
• Red colors appear in ponds with medium to high salt levels. This color change is caused by an alga called Dunaliella salina.
• Orange colors can be seen in ponds with medium salt levels. Millions of tiny brine shrimp create this orange tint.
• Other tiny living things, like bacteria such as Stichococcus, also add different tints.

These colorful ponds look especially cool from above. Pilots and astronauts flying over can see them. They often look like amazing, colorful art on the ground.

Animals That Love Salt Ponds

Salt ponds are not just for making salt. They also provide a special habitat for many animals. A habitat is a natural home or environment for an animal. Most of the animals living in salt ponds are birds. They come to feed on the algae and brine shrimp. These ponds are important resting and feeding spots for many types of birds, including migratory birds.

Images for kids

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  San Francisco Bay salt ponds

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  A salt pan worker in a salt evaporation pond in Tamil Nadu, India.

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  Salt evaporation ponds at a lithium mine in Argentina. The brine in this salar is rich in lithium, and the mine concentrates the brine in the ponds.

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  Contemporary solar evaporation salt pans on the island of Lanzarote at Salinas de Janubio

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  Solar evaporation ponds in the Atacama Desert

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  Solar evaporation ponds in the Salt Valley of Añana, Spain

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  Solar evaporation ponds in the Salt Valley of Añana, Spain

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  Salt evaporation ponds at Pag, Croatia

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  Salt shovel from Argentina

See also

In Spanish: Salina para niños