Comparisons of the polar lipid and pigment profiles of two solar salterns located in Newark, California, USA, and Eilat, Israel

The whole community pigments and lipids have been examined during a 5-year period in two commercial solar salterns located in the United States and in Israel. There were significant differences in the complexity of the lipid and pigment patterns within the California saltern system, and these differ ences were not consistent over the sampling period despite examination of p onds with the same salinity. The solar saltern system in Eilat, Israel, sho wed greater consistency during this sampling period and compared directly w ith previous studies. The complexity of the saltern in Newark, California, could be explained on the basis of the prevailing weather conditions (coole r and more rainfall) and the nutrient-enriched source water. The Eilat salt ern, however, has an oligotrophic water source and has a considerably warme r and drier climate. This difference resulted in more diverse and more comp lex pigment and lipid patterns and presumably microbial populations in the Newark, California, plant than in the saltern in Eilat, Israel.