Lake Urmia

News: Iran has used cloud-seeding over the Urmia Lake basin to address the country’s severe drought.

About Lake Urmia 

• Location: It is a large oligotrophic and extremely hypersaline lake located in Iran.
  • It lies in the Armenian Highlands, between the provinces of Azerbaijan in Iran and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea
• It is the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth.
• The lake is surrounded by mountains in the west and north, and plateaus in the south and east.
• Feeding rivers: The inflow of water in the lake is from rivers like the Talkheh, Zarīneh, and Sīmīneh.
• Area: The lake covers an area ranging from 2,000 to 2,300 square miles.
• Elevation: It lies at an elevation of 4,183 feet (1,275 meters) above sea level.
• Protection status: The Lake, along with its 102 islands were protected to create Urmia Lake National Park in 1975.
• Features
  • Lake Urmia is known for its extremely salty water, which is one-fourth as salty as the Dead Sea.
    • Main salts in the lake are chlorine, sodium, and sulfates.
  • A unique feature of Lake Urmia is its changing colors in certain seasons.
    • The high salinity and microscopic activities cause the water to turn red and orange, creating a striking landscape.
  • The lake also has impressive salt dunes, adding to its natural beauty.
• Threats: Fluctuating water levels and reduced inflow due to climate change, water diversion, and human activity have raised concerns about the lake’s future sustainability.