Gruner See, translated Green Lake, is located in Styria, Austria near the town of Tragöß. Green Lake is nestled right in the middle of the Hochschwab mountains and forest linings and is home to many hiking trails and beautiful scenery, all varying year-round. The lake’s crystal clear, emerald-green waters give rise to its name and adequately so.

Now you might be wondering why I chose this seemingly ordinary natural beauty and the answer speaks for itself when something extraordinary happens to the lake in the summer months. In the winter, the lakes depths can reach a minimum of about 3-5 feet and usually averaging near-frozen temperatures of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The lake’s source of clean water comes from occasional snowmelt runoff from the neighboring mountains. Yet, when summer hits and the temperature starts to rise, a massive amount of snow melts from the Hochschwab mountains causing the lake to reach a maximum depth of about 40 feet. Not only does the water’s depth increase, but the diameter as well. There is enough snowmelt from the mountains that the hiking trails within the bordering forests become consumed by the crystal clear waters. Benches, trails, trees and bridges all become engulfed in a seasonal pool of the emerald green waters, making this a highly visited location by divers in the early summer months.

This perfectly located lake is a prime example of the varying natural beauties in the world. Without the lake’s specific location, bordering mountains and trees, seasonally varying temperature spikes, and the area’s overall unpolluted land and water, this seasonally natural phenomenon would not be possible. I liked this natural beauty because it shows how varying the environment can be within certain parts of the world between different seasons. Nature can change throughout the year just as animals and humans do in order to adapt to the fluctuating world around us.