Beauty and Chromatic Pools

Beauty and Chromatic Pools. . , Living Color , The vivid colors of Beauty Pool’s basin and runoff channels are created by microscopic lifeforms. Incredibly, these organisms survive and thrive in an environment that would be lethal to us and most other living creatures. Scientists are just beginning to understand these lifeforms; amazingly, hot spring environments may sustain a diversity of organisms rivaling that of terrestrial rain forests., Thermal Feature Color Gradient , In the geyser basin with alkaline or neutral pH (Upper Midway, Lower West Thumb, and Mammoth Hot Springs) color is primarily a function of what lives and grows in a feature. The graph to the right represents the upper environmental temperature limits for life and the corresponding colors (which vary over the course of a year as a consequence of seasonal changes) in the features or runoff channels., Chart , Blue and clear waters are extremely hot and at times may exceed the boiling point (199° F [93° C] at this elevation) Archaea. , 163° F (73° C) or lower Cyanobacteria. , 144° F (62° C) or lower Fungi. , 140° F (60° C) or lower Algae. , 133° F (56° C) or lower Protozoa. , 122° F (50° C) or lower Mosses, crustaceans, and insects. , 80° F (27° C) or lower Trout., Hidden Connections , Beauty Pool shares an underground link with Chromatic Pool (to your immediate left). When Beauty Pool is full, Chromatic Pool’s water level is much lower; sometimes the reverse may be observed. Many other features in the Upper Geyser Basin have demonstrated similar behavior. The factors affecting such exchanges of function are many and may include phenomena such as earthquakes and continuing mineral accumulations in each feature’s underground “plumbing.”