Pink Lake - Aylmer, Gatineau, Canada. - Wednesday June 19th 2024

Healthy4Life - Spent The Day At The Lake +45 heat wave
Pink Lake is Gatineau Park’s most outstanding lake, because of its unusual makeup. Its rare beauty makes it one of the most popular sites in the Park. It has a three-season trail and a lookout.

Despite having the name “Pink,” the lake is actually green. It is named after the Pink family who settled the land in 1826.
Gatineau Park is a federal park located in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a 361 square kilometres wedge of land extending north and west from the city of Gatineau. With a perimeter of 179.2 kilometres, the park includes parts of the municipalities of Chelsea, Pontiac, La Pêche, and the City of Gatineau. The main entrance to the park is 4 kilometres north of downtown Ottawa, Ontario.

The park's area has a long history of human inhabitation and usage predating the arrival of European settlers. Its more recent pre-park history includes various forms of human exploitation such as farming, logging, hunting, and industrial activity. The idea of creating a park in the Gatineau Hills for recreational purposes was proposed as early as 1903. In 1938 money was allotted for the acquisition of Gatineau woodlands and the construction of a parkway.
Get to know this 1.4-mile loop trail near Gatineau, Quebec. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 36 min to complete. This is a
very popular area for birding, hiking, and snowshoeing, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are April through October. You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs aren't allowed on this trail.

About Pink Lake

A meromictic lake
Pink Lake is meromictic, meaning that its upper and lower layers of water never mix. Normally, a lake’s water layers mix completely each year during the spring and fall, because of water density, water and air temperature, and the wind. The mixing of lake waters distributes nutrients and oxygen evenly throughout the lake.

Pink Lake’s waters do not mix, because it has a small surface and bowl-like shape, and is surrounded by steep cliffs that protect it from the wind. There is no oxygen in the deepest seven metres of the lake.
Why is Pink Lake green?
The magnificent greenish tint to the waters of Pink Lake is caused by the growth of microscopic algae. Even though the algae are spectacularly beautiful, they are very harmful. This vegetation gradually takes over the oxygen, suffocating the lake. This natural process, called “eutrophication,” can take many thousands of years.

Unfortunately, Pink Lake’s popularity with Park visitors over the years sped up this process. The algae were growing so rapidly that eutrophication would have taken only a few decades. To preserve the lake for future generations, we have rehabilitated the site by building platforms and a trail to limit the damage caused by erosion. Volunteers also helped plant 10,000 small trees.
Life in Pink Lake
With no oxygen at the bottom of Pink Lake, there is only one organism that lives in its depths: a prehistoric anaerobic organism. It is a pink photosynthetic bacterium, which uses sulphur instead of oxygen to transform sunlight into energy.

Pink Lake is also home to the three-spined stickleback fish, a saltwater fish left behind from the Champlain Sea, which used to cover the region. This little saltwater fish adapted to the lake’s gradual desalination, and today lives in the lake’s fresh water.
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