Lake Natron receives only 400 mm of rain a year, and much of that is ‘phantom rain’ – rain that evaporates before hitting the surface. This is because the lake is in a desert.
The lake has no outlets and receives most of its water from springs and episodic streams. Because the water coming into the lake leaches through the volcanic material of nearby Mt Ol Doinyo Lengai, the lake’s water is highly alkaline.
Lake Natron contains large salt, soda and magnesite deposits. This is a good environment for the growth of a kind of bacteria that damages the innards of the organisms that drink it.
Flamingos aren’t negatively affected by the bacteria in Lake Natron that harm most other birds. The lake is the largest breeding ground in the world for lesser flamingoes!
The water of Lake Natron sometimes turns red (or orange-red) because of the algae that thrive in its hypersaline environment. This red tinge to the water can even be seen from space!
The lake’s temperature can rise to 60 °C (140 °F) in summer! There are also hot springs on its eastern shore.