David Strayer

David Strayer

Live Science Contributor

David Strayer is a freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. He is a coeditor of Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science and the author of "Beyond the Sea: The Hidden Life in Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands."

Articles by: David Strayer

Sulfuric lake of Kawah Ijen Mountain's cauldron in the Banyuwangi Regency of East Java.

'A challenge and an opportunity for evolution': The extreme, hidden life thriving in Earth's most acidic and alkaline lakes

By David Strayer published

"The most acidic natural inland waters are the lakes that lie in the craters of volcanoes, like Kawah Ijen in Indonesia. These lakes are so rich in sulfuric acid that they may have a pH as low as 0.1. To put this in context, fresh battery acid has a pH of about 0.7. "