Wacky Waters: Watery Wonders

 There are so many astonishing wonders in this universe. THIS time, I am going to talk about the wacky, watery wonders. If you remember, I published a post about Wild Wonders: Top 7 Natural Wonders. It's fine if you skipped that post to move onto this one. It's going to be a long adventure this time also! We are going to talk about 7 wacky, watery wonders. This time, instead of buckling up your seatbelts, get tucked into your swimsuits! Make sure you have enough oxygen in your oxygen tank😊. Why wait now? Let's go exploring!

The Bahama Blue Holes in Belize

The first wacky, watery wonder is The Bahamas Blue Holes. It's located in the Bahamas, (That was obvious to know because it's right in the name! It's okay if you didn't realize, though) These blue holes are one of the most unique habitats in the world. There are more than 1,000 blue holes in the Bahamas alone. The Bahamas Blue Holes are roughly in a range between 10,000 to 99,000 years old.  The Bahamas were mostly formed in the Ice Age. The Ice Age is the time global temperatures were colder than average. Many explorers have discovered the blue holes of the Bahamas. It's difficult to live there because of less light, so less oxygen. These conditions make it hard to live there. But it is good for observing the past. Scientists have found many ancient fossils at the bottom of these blue holes. They have also found sediments that help in clarifying weather pattern hundreds of years before. Now that we have dived into this fascinating wonder, let's move onto the next one. 

The Frozen Bubbles of Lake Abraham

The next watery wonder is The Frozen Bubbles of Lake Abraham. It is located in Alberta, Canada. These bubbles could create a fire trapped in a frozen lake! Wow! They are filled with a type of gas called methane. How does this gas get in the lake? Well, when plants and tree limbs start to decay at the bottom of the lake, the gas gets released. In the winter, when the temperatures drop, the methane gas is trapped in ice and turns into bubbles. The bubbles get larger as they get closer to the surface., causing the fire. This beautiful lake was discovered by Alan and Madeline Erst. It was created in 1972. A surprising and sad fact about this lake is that the gas, methane is a greenhouse gas that is dangerous to our planet! 

The Mono Lake

The 3rd one is The Mono Lake. It is located in California, U.S.A. This is an extremely salty place. It is more than 1 million years old. Did you know that the Mono Lake is saltier than the ocean! You got to be kidding! The reason why Mono Lake has so much salt is just because water evaporates! When the water evaporates, salt and other chemicals are left behind.😲. The lake got its name from the Mono Indian Tribe. Probably because they discovered it. Mono Lake is important because it has a unique ecosystem that provides habitats for millions of migrating birds and other wildlife. Due to so much of salt in the lake, it can actually float us humans and animals! In case you were wondering what are the little rock castles on Mono Lake, they are called tufa towers. How do they form? Well, they grow underwater by a special ''spring water'' that comes from the bottom of the lake. The spring water mixes with the lake water, creating the tufa towers. I hope I cleared all your questions! Now, let's move on to the wackily, watery wonder.

The Travertine Pools

The 4th one is The Travertine Pools. It is located in Huanglong, China. The Travertine Pools  are about 13,000 years old. It is surrounded by glacier- topped mountains. If you remember that I published a post about Maha Kumbh, I told you that UNESCO inscribed the festival as an Intangibly Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Similarly, the Travertine Pool in Huanglong are an UNESCO World Heritage site because of their vibrant colors. These beautiful colors are formed by the depositing minerals of limestone from thousands of years ago. The minerals all together appears as series of colorful ponds and waterfalls. It cascades down to a valley that resembles a yellow dragon. Hence, Huanglong means ''Yellow Dragon.'' OMG!. That is super- duper cool! Next adventure....

The Baatara Gorge Waterfalls
The Cave of Three Bridges

The 5th wonder is The Baatara Gorge Waterfall. It is located in Lebanon. It is a remarkable natural wonder. A waterfall cascades through a cave spotlighting three natural bridges. It is nicknamed as ''The Cave of Three Bridges.'' This waterfall flows through 3 natural limestone bridges, making a rare and unique sight. I have a feeling you have a question in mind to ask about. Why is it nicknamed as The Cave of Three Bridges. It's simply because water flows behind 3 natural limestone bridges. I know! That's it! Baatara Gorge Waterfall is considered as a great place to visit, especially for us nature lovers! 

Red Sea Glowing Coral at Red Sea

The 6th watery wonder is ..... The Red Sea Glowing Coral. It is located in Middle East. It emits fluorescent colors in red, green, blue, orange and yellow. It is particularly at depths of 50 meters. The coral gets its color from a tiny plant named algae in it, which gives vibrant and beautiful colors. These algae are called zooxanthellae. Other than giving color to the coral, it also lives inside it and acts as its food. I'm going to wrap up this place and finally move onto the last one.

The Red River

The last wonder is The Red River, El Rio Tinto. It is located in Spain. This land was once filled with a fortune- gold, copper, and silver. The large quantities of acid and heavy metals in the area had caused this area to be extremely toxic. It is now red like blood. Eww! This river results of hundreds of years of mining. Anyways, scientists study this river because its conditions closely resemble environments on Mars.

The best, interesting, inspirational book,
The Big Book of W.O.W
Second edition

I hope you enjoy this trip on  Wacky Waters: Watery Wonders which were watery. My inspiration to write this essay was from an amazing book, The Big Book of W.O.W, the second edition bought interest to me. So, I gathered facts from the book and online as my source and made a good essay, (I hope!). Buckle of you belts, take off your oxygen mask and step out to shore for some fresh air. If you know more facts about any of these amazingly, watery wonders, please share in the comments below along with your favorite wacky, watery wonder. Make sure to share these mind- blowing facts to your friends and family. That's all for today. Bye, Bye!

 By Navya Singh