Where is Lake Urmia located?
Iran
Lake Urmia, Persian Daryācheh-ye Orūmīyeh, lake in northwestern Iran that is the largest lake in the Middle East. It covers an area that varies from 2,000 to 2,300 square miles (5,200 to 6,000 square km).
What happened to Lake Urmia in Iran?
By late 2017, the lake had shrunk to 10% of its former size (and 1/60 of water volume in 1998) due to persistent general drought in Iran, but also the damming of the local rivers that flow into it, and the pumping of groundwater from the surrounding area.
Is Urmia a Kurdish?
The majority of villages in West Azarbaijan are indeed Kurdish, but the town Urmia historically was more Azeri. Also The Kurdish birth-rate is much higher and this has also lead the city/province to seem perhaps majority Kurdish.
Why did Lake Urmia dry up?
The lake has been threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities, including increased agricultural activity, urban expansion, extensive construction of dams and anthropogenic changes to the lake system including a constructed causeway as well as severe climate change-induced droughts (Tourian et al., 2015; Alborzi et …
Why is Lake Urmia red?
Like the Aral Sea, Iran’s salty Lake Urmia has shrunk rapidly during the past few decades. As it grows smaller, the lake grows saltier. And as it grows saltier, microscopic organisms are periodically turning the water striking shades of red and orange.
How is Lake Urmia similar to the Great Salt Lake?
(Like Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Urmia is bisected by a causeway.) Together with treated wastewater funneled into the lake, the inputs may have helped inundate lakebed that had dried out several years ago, maintaining the isolation of two islands that are home to the rare Persian fallow deer and Armenian sheep.
Are there fish in Lake Urmia?
A Unique Lake Aquatic biodiversity is limited by the lake’s salinity and Lake Urmia does not support any fish or mollusk species and no plants other than phytoplankton within the lake (17,18,19,12). Wetlands surrounding the lake support a variety of salt tolerant plant species (19).
Is the Salt Lake drying up?
The Great Salt Lake’s volume has decreased by approximately 50 percent, and it’s predicted to reach 170-year low. With even dryer conditions on the horizon, it’s safe to say the Great Salt Lake could dry up in our lifetime.
How is Lake Urmia similar to the Great Salt lake?
What kind of water is in Lake Urmia?
Green and tan shades show the extent of the water in Lake Urmia (also Orumiyeh or Orumieh) in western Iran. The lake is highly saline and only a few tens of meters deep even at high water. The shoreline appears as a white margin of salt.
Is there a road across Lake Urmia in Azerbaijan?
The lake is a major barrier between Urmia and Tabriz, two of the most important cities in the provinces of West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan. A project to build a highway across the lake was initiated in the 1970s but was abandoned after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, leaving a 15 km (9.3 mi) causeway with an unbridged gap.
How much has Lake Urmia lost in the last 14 years?
“The results from satellite imagery revealed a loss of water extent at an average rate of 220 square kilometers per year, which indicates that the lake has lost about 70 percent of its surface area over the last 14 years.”
What is the look of the city of Urmia?
The city of Urmia stands out as a distinct gray patch surrounded by fields. On the opposite shore, an extinct volcano appears as an oval shape. A causeway and bridge connect the shorelines at this point.