Chatyr-Kul Lake
| Lake Chatyr-Kul | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Tian Shan mountains, Naryn Province |
| Coordinates | 40°37′N 75°18′E / 40.617°N 75.300°ECoordinates: 40°37′N 75°18′E / 40.617°N 75.300°E |
| Type |
Endorheic Mountain lake |
| Primary inflows | Glaciers |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
| Designation | Ramsar site |
| Max. length | 23 km (14 mi) |
| Max. width | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Surface area | 181 km2 (70 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 16.5 m (54 ft) |
| Water volume | 0.62 km3 (0.15 cu mi) |
| Shore length1 | 58 km (36 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 3,530 m (11,580 ft) |
| Islands | none |
| Settlements | none |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Chatyr-Kul (also Chatyr Köl, Chatyrkol, Kyrgyz: Чатыркөл) is an endorheic alpine lake in the Tian Shan mountains in At-Bashi District of Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan; it lies in the lower part of Chatyr-Kul Depression near the Torugart Pass border crossing into China. The name of the lake means “Celestial Lake” in Kyrgyz (literally "Roof Lake"). The lake and 2 km buffer zone around it is part of the Karatal-Japyryk State Nature Reserve. The lake is a Ramsar site of globally significant biodiversity (Ramsar Site RDB Code 2KG002).
The mean annual temperature in the lake basin is −5.6 °C (21.9 °F), with mean temperature of −22 °C (−8 °F) in January, and 7.1 °C (44.8 °F) in July. The maximum temperature in summer is 24 °C (75 °F), and the minimum one in winter is −50 °C (−58 °F). Some 88-90% of the lake basin's 208–269 mm of annual precipitation falls in summer. From October to end of April the lake surface freezes, the ice becoming as much as 0.25-1.5 m thick.
The water of Chatyr Kul Lake is yellowish-green with water transparency of up to 4 metres (13 ft). The mineralization of the lake ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 milligrams per liter (chloride, hydrocarbonate, sodium and magnesium type of mineralization). The salinity of the lake is 2 ppt. Mineral sources in the south part of the lake have mineralization of from 5 to 7 grams (0.18 to 0.25 oz) per liter and pH = 5,8-6,0. Flow rate is 1,866 m3 (65,900 cu ft) in winter and 3,629 cubic metres (128,200 cu ft) during summer.
Negative water balance of the lake over the last decades causes the decline in the lake level.
...
Wikipedia