Hi!. The organisms that causes the coloration are probably extremely
halophilic archaebacteria (halobacteria). You will find a lot of information
about these bugs in the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (volume
3). Also there are specific books that talks about this subject. One of my
favorites is "The Biology of Halophilic Bacteria" by Russell Vreeland and L.
Hochstein. Also, the coloration may be due to the growth of the algae
Dunaliella salina. Hope this helps!
Rafael Montalvo
