探秘奇特之“镜”

Matt+Bell+张晓敏

湖泊虽然因其相对封闭，没有河流的运动之美，却多了一份宁静安逸的情调。然而令人惊奇的是，世界各地的湖泊并非都是清澈见底、绿波荡漾，它们有各自的奇特之处，让人流连忘返。本文就带大家来探秘一番。

Imagine walking through a distant island of forest and stumbling across1） a bright， pink lake. Or quietly rowing your boat through a sea of floating lotus2） flowers that expand as far as the eye can see. Dreamy？ Yes， but also completely possible if you consider a visit to one of the world's strangest lakes.

想象一下，步行穿过远方一座森林覆盖的小岛，无意中发现一个波光粼粼的粉色湖泊。或是在延伸至视线尽头的、漂浮的茫茫莲花当中划着船悄然穿行。如梦似幻？的确，不过也是完全有可能的，假如你考虑去世界上最奇特的湖泊之一游览一番。

Jellyfish Lake， Palau

By the ocean， jellyfish are a nuisance3） to swimmers， but swimming with them in Palau's Jellyfish Lake is an unexpected pleasure. These golden jellyfish are glowing balls of pink and purple that range in size from a penny to a soccer ball and were cut off from their natural predators millennia ago. With no need to defend themselves， they evolved without the ability to sting—the only such known species of jellyfish. These carefree creatures do nothing more than soak up the sunlight （their main source of nutrition）—oh， and entertain the humans， who have taken to4） snorkeling5） in their midst.

Lake Nong Harn， Thailand

The yearly sprouting6） of thousands upon thousands of red lotus flowers completely transforms the surface of Lake Nong Harn into an 8，000-acre vision of buoyant7） blossoms. This garden begins to grow in October， just after the rainy season. When it reaches full bloom in December， nearby villagers， who trace the origins of the lake to a tragic love myth， take to boats to enjoy the miraculous scenery. The sea of red lotuses is best viewed during daylight hours before noon， when the flowers are fully opened， revealing their vibrant8）， pink color （not red， despite the name）. The lake， which is located in the province of Udon Thani， 350 miles north of Bangkok， stays rosy until March.

Laguna Colorada， Bolivia

A lake so surreal in color， Salvador Dalí9） himself might have dreamed it up. More likely， this russet10）-red lake fueled the imagination of the great painter， who once traveled to this far reach of Bolivia， now called Dalí Valley， looking for inspiration. The burgundy11） color is derived from plankton12）， red alga and other microorganisms that serve as food for the lake's other outstanding feature—the rare puna flamingo， whose presence makes the place seem something like a mash-up13） of Mars and the Caribbean.

Mount Erebus， Antarctica

Good luck finding a spot to enjoy this lake， where the air outside can reach a freezing 60 degrees centigrade below zero and the stuff inside measures 1，700 degrees centigrade above. One of five lava lakes worldwide， Mount Erebus stands out for its location in Antarctica， the continent that lays claim to14） having the most ice. The pool of molten rock can be found 12，500 feet above sea level atop Mount Erebus—a volcano that has been consistently erupting since 1972. Before you even think about getting close， remember that it has been known to lob15） 10-foot-wide lava bombs without notice.

Lake Hillier， Australia

The source of all the world's strawberry milkshakes16）？ Chewing gum？ Nope， just a lake filled with perfectly pink water. It's no trick of the light either； the 2，000-foot-long lake stays rosy whether day or night and keeps its hue17） even if taken away in a bottle. Scientists are baffled18） by the exact cause， although they have narrowed it down to a few microorganisms and bacteria that live in the lake's salty deposits. Lake Hillier is located on the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia， and， only a narrow stretch of tree-covered coastline separates the lake from the sky-blue SouthernOcean19）.

Lake Nyos， Cameroon

In 1986， Lake Nyos caused one of the largest unusual natural disasters in recorded history when it literally blew up without warning. It sent a torrent20） of water 300 feet into the air， followed by a small tsunami to the lake's shores. Then came a burst of carbon dioxide at 60 miles an hour， creating a roving21） toxic cloud that suffocated22） 1，746 people in three days， before dispersing23）. Scary， but the lake is now safe to see. A buildup of carbon dioxide at the lake's bottom set off the explosion； French and American scientists have since introduced a system of piping to artificially remove the gas.

帕劳的水母湖

在海边，水母对游泳者而言是讨厌的东西，但是在帕劳的水母湖和它们一同游泳却是一种意想不到的乐趣。这些金黄色的水母仿佛是粉色和紫色的发光球，它们大小不一，小到仅及硬币，大到堪比足球。这里的水母几千年前就与它们的天敌相隔绝，由于无需自我防卫，它们在进化中丧失了蜇刺的能力——这是已知仅有的无蜇刺的水母。这些无忧无虑的生物每天什么都不做，除了吸收阳光（这是它们主要的营养来源）——哦，还有娱乐那些喜欢在水母群里浮潜的人们。

泰国的红莲湖

每年成千上万的红莲花发芽生长，将红莲湖的湖面全然变成8000英亩漂浮花海的美景。这个花园里的花10月开始生长，就在雨季结束之后。当12月花朵全部盛开之时，附近的村民会划着船去欣赏这令人惊叹的美景——他们把这片湖的起源归于一个不幸的爱情神话。观赏红莲花海最好是在白天中午之前，这时莲花完全绽放，展露出它们亮丽的粉红色（不是红色，虽然它们名叫红莲花）。红莲湖位于曼谷以北350英里的乌隆他尼府，它一直到来年3月份都会保持粉红色。

玻利维亚的科罗拉达湖

这个湖的颜色如此不真实，萨尔瓦多·达利本人才可能凭想象虚构出来。更可能的情况是，这条红褐色的湖泊激发了这位大画家的想象。达利曾到玻利维亚这个现在被叫做达利山谷的遥远地方旅行，来寻找灵感。这条湖的暗红色来自湖里的浮游生物、红藻以及其他微生物，这些微生物同时也是科罗拉达湖另一与众不同之物——罕见的秘鲁红鹳——的食物，这种红鹳的存在让这个地方看起来像是火星和加勒比海的混合体。

澳大利亚的希利尔湖

这里是世界上所有草莓奶昔的来源？亦或是口香糖的来源？都不是，这只是一个满是完完全全粉红色湖水的湖。这并不是光在作怪，这个2000英尺长的湖不论白天还是晚上都保持着粉红色，你即使把湖水装在瓶子里带走，它也还是这个颜色。科学家们为这背后的确切原因困惑不已，虽然他们已经将范围缩小到生活在该湖含盐沉积物里的几种微生物和细菌上。希利尔湖位于澳大利亚西部的勒谢什群岛，而且它与天蓝色的南大洋之间只隔着一道狭窄的绿树掩映的海岸线。

南极洲的埃里伯斯火山湖

希望你运气好，能找到一个可以观赏这个湖的地方，这个湖外面的气温可以达到极寒的零下60℃，湖里的温度却达1700℃以上。作为世界五大岩浆湖之一，埃里伯斯火山湖因其位于声称拥有最多冰的南极洲而引人注目。埃里伯斯火山从1972年开始就持续喷发，这个熔岩湖位于埃里伯斯火山山顶海拔12500英尺的地方。在你甚至只是考虑要靠近这里之前，别忘了它可是以毫无预兆地抛出十英尺宽的岩浆炸弹而著称的。

喀麦隆的尼奥斯湖

1986年，尼奥斯湖引发了历史记载中最不同寻常的自然灾害之一。当时，湖水毫无预警地炸开（没错，就是炸开），将一股急流炸到300英尺高的空中，紧接着一个小型的海啸席卷了湖岸。随后二氧化碳以60英里的时速喷发，形成了流动的毒气云，三天内令1746人窒息而死，之后才消散。这很可怕，但这条湖现在已经安全，可供参观。当年是湖底积聚的二氧化碳引起了这场爆炸，法国和美国的科学家们此后已经引进了一套管道系统进行人工排气。