Like a scene straight out of a horror film, a Turkish lake known for its salinity turned a deep shade of red recently.

The country's Tuz Gola– nicknamed "Salt Lake" by the locals– turned red because of , ABC News reported. The lake, which is Turkey's second largest, spans more than 600 square miles and , according to the United Nations.

In the slideshow at the top of this page, you can see an image of what the red algae bloom looks like, as well as photos of other toxic algae blooms around the world.

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"Because the lake is losing water, the salinity is getting higher and higher, which kills off a lot of the plankton that normally eatthis red algae," Stony Brook University marine ecology research professor Dr. Christopher Gobler told ABC News. "So now, the algae is thriving and will probablyreduntil the lake fully evaporates, probably next month during the peak of summer heat."

The lake is a popular spot for tourists because as the lake dries out, it , the New York Daily News said. There are also industrial refineries along the lake that capture salt from Tuz Gola.

Toxic algae can pose a threat to local residents if it gets into the drinking water supply, as it did for some Ohio towns .