description Lake Urmia Overview
Lake Urmia is a hypersaline, endorheic lake in northwestern Iran, between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan. It was formerly one of the region's largest inland lakes, but its water level and surface area have declined sharply since the late twentieth century because of drought, evaporation, river diversion, dams, and agricultural water use. The lake and its surrounding wetlands are important subjects in water-management and environmental research.
help Lake Urmia FAQ
Where is Lake Urmia located?
Lake Urmia is a hypersaline, endorheic lake in northwestern Iran between East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces. Endorheic means that water flows into the basin but does not drain onward to the sea.
Why has Lake Urmia been shrinking?
River diversions, dams, agricultural water use, drought, and higher evaporation have all reduced the water reaching the lake. The decline became especially severe from the late twentieth century onward.
Why is Lake Urmia so salty?
Because Lake Urmia has no outlet, dissolved salts remain behind when water evaporates. Its hypersaline conditions support specialized organisms but make the lake highly sensitive to changes in inflow.
What is the Lake Urmia Restoration Program?
Iran established the Urmia Lake Restoration Program in 2013 to address water management and ecological decline. The program has focused on reducing water use and improving inflows, but restoration results have varied with rainfall and basin management.
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