Photo Credit (Pixeles)
The world’s saltiest body of water is the small Don Juan Pond, which is situated in the McMurdo’s Dry Valleys in Antarctica. Even at -58 degrees Celsius (-50 Fahrenheit), it is still liquid, and its salt content is so high that it rivals that of the Dead Sea.
Scientists have been captivated by Don Juan Pond for decades, despite the fact that it is only four inches deep and resembles a big puddle. Since its discovery in 1961, the tiny body of water has been the subject of intense scientific interest. It seemed inevitable that a liquid droplet this minuscule would attract notice at some time, especially in an alien environment where temperatures can dip as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Its salt concentration, according to a brief investigation, is about 40%; to put that in perspective, the salinity of the world’s seas is 3.5%, that of the Great Salt Lake ranges from 5 to 27%, and that of the well-known Dead Sea is 34%.
Nestled in a valley in one of the driest places on Earth—where it hardly ever rains and hardly ever snows—is the saltiest body of water on the planet. Don Juan Pond’s calcium-chloride-rich waters hardly ever freeze, while the few other pinds in the region are capped by several meters of solid ice. Through their ability to move between molecules and stop the development of ice crystal lattice, the salt particles reduce the freezing point of water.
The genesis of Don Juan Pond is one of its biggest mysteries. Geologists Jay Dickson and James Head of Brown University demonstrated approximately ten years ago that the saline water most likely originates from the atmosphere, despite experts’ long-held belief that the ankle-deep pool of water was continuously fuelled by groundwater coming up to the surface. Through the use of cameras, they demonstrated how the salts in McMurdo’s Dry Valleys soil draw moisture from the atmosphere through a process known as deliquescence. Then, these salts that are high in water seep down toward Don Juan Pond, frequently combining with snow and ice meltwater.
The potential for microscopic life forms to exist in Don Juan Pond’s very salted water is another intriguing aspect of the pond. It would appear that life exists or once existed on worlds like Mars if life could survive in such a harsh environment.
According to Jay Dickson, “there is definitely biology around the pond and some evidence for biologic activity in the pond itself, but this activity could be explained by abiotic processes.” “Mars used to have a lot of water, but now it has a lot of salt.”
