Unanticipated Desiccation: Middle East’s Largest Lake Transforms Into Arid Salt Pan

As of Autumn 2023, Lake Urmia, located in northwest Iran and previously considered the largest lake in the Middle East, has primarily been reduced to a parched salt pan. While a brief revival occurred in 2020 due to extraordinary rainfall, historical data indicates that the lake has been on a drying trajectory since 1995, losing close to 90% of its surface area.

Merely a few years after water levels in Lake Urmia were replenished, the lake is now almost entirely desiccated.

Lake Urmia in northwest Iran, which witnessed a temporary expansion in water volume a few years prior, had almost evaporated by Autumn 2023. Once the Middle East’s most expansive lake and among the Earth’s largest hypersaline bodies of water, Lake Urmia has largely morphed into an extensive, barren salt flat.

An image of Lake Urmia was obtained by Landsat 9’s Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on September 7, 2023.

On the mentioned date, a snapshot of the arid lakebed was captured by Landsat 9’s OLI-2. This image presents a stark contrast to a photograph taken three years earlier on September 8, 2020, by Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager. At that time, the majority of the basin was water-filled, and salt deposits were merely visible at the lake’s edges. The lake’s expansion was the result of a season of above-average rainfall that propelled an inflow of freshwater into the basin. However, subsequent arid conditions have led to a reversion in water levels.

Historical Context and Reasons for Decline

Lake Urmia’s long-term trajectory has been one of progressive desiccation. In 1995, the lake reached its zenith in water level; over the subsequent two decades, it declined by over 7 meters (about 23 feet) and forfeited nearly 90% of its area. A series of droughts, along with water diversion for agricultural purposes and the construction of dams on tributary rivers, have been contributing factors to its decline.

Environmental and Health Ramifications

The diminishing of Lake Urmia has both ecological and public health consequences. The lake, its islands, and adjacent wetlands serve as essential habitats and are designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a Ramsar site, and a national park. This environment offers breeding spaces for waterbirds such as flamingos, white pelicans, and white-headed ducks, as well as a resting place for migratory species. However, the declining water levels have resulted in increased salinity, affecting the availability of food resources like brine shrimp for larger fauna.

The decrease in lake volume also elevates the risk of dust from the exposed lakebed being carried by the wind, thereby diminishing air quality. Recent research has associated the declining water levels in Lake Urmia with adverse respiratory health effects among the local populace.

Discussion on Underlying Causes

The relative impact of climatic conditions, water consumption, and dam construction on the water levels in Lake Urmia continues to be a subject of scholarly discussion. There was a marginal improvement in the lake’s condition during a ten-year restoration program initiated in 2013. Nevertheless, attributing the effectiveness of this initiative is challenging, given that significant rainfall also occurred during this period. Certain studies suggest that climate factors were principally responsible for the lake’s temporary recovery.

Imagery for this report was provided by NASA Earth Observatory, captured by Lauren Dauphin and sourced from Landsat data by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Lake Urmia Desiccation

More about Lake Urmia Desiccation

• Lake Urmia: A Great Salt Lake Is Dying (NASA Earth Observatory)
• Lake Urmia, Iran (Ramsar Convention)
• The Current Status of Lake Urmia: A Global Perspective (ResearchGate)
• Lake Urmia: Environmental Disaster in the Making (DW News)
• Effects of Lake Urmia desiccation on respiratory health in children (National Library of Medicine)