Lake Sarysu
Encyclopedia
Sarysu is a relatively large lake of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

 located in Imishli and Sabirabad raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...

s of the Kur-Araz Lowland.

Overview

Sarysu lake stretches along the Kura River
Kura River
Kura is a river, also known from the Greek as the Cyrus in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea...

 from Imishli Rayon southeast to Sabirabad Rayon reaching the total length of 22 km (13.7 mi). It is one of the four lakes present in the area and is one of the largest lakes in the country. The water in the lake is nonsaline. The lake inflows from Lake Ağgöl
Lake Ağgöl
Ağgöl is a large salty lake in Kur-Araz Lowland, Agjabadi and Imishli raions of southeastern part of Azerbaijan. It is one of about 250 lakes of the country. Ağgöl is considered one of the most important habitats in Azerbaijan as well as in Caucasus...

 through a canal, underground waters and rain and outflows to Kura River. The outflow to Kura is regulated by a water-releasing station in Muradbəyli.

The lake is separated from the residential areas in the north by a highway which prevents it from potential pollution. The southern part of the lake has been polluted from waters of onshore oil production activities in the past.

The shoreline of Sarysu is mainly made up from wetlands and swamps. The overall area is 65.7 sqkm. The approximate volume of water in the lake is 60 million m3. Average depth is 1-3 meters, at the shoreline 0.1-0.9 meters. The increases of volume of water is mainly observed in spring and fall seasons. During winter season, the average ice-covering period is 11 days. The lake is rich with common carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...

 and vobla
Vobla
Vobla is a Russian word for a fish called the Caspian roach . Salt-dried vobla is a common Russian meal or snack that goes well with beer. It is popular in many Russian households and beer restaurants.The vobla has a typical size of 30-35 cm Vobla (also spelled wobla) is a Russian word for a...

. Favorable conditions at the lake attract 300-350 thousand migrating birds during the winter. Mineralization
Mineralization
Mineralization may refer to:* Mineralization , the process through which an organic substance becomes impregnated by inorganic substances...

 at Sarysu is high.

Overflowing and floods

The river sometimes overflows and floods. In 1976, overflowing of Kura River caused Sarysu to increase in size by 3-5 times. In May 2010, major flooding struck the area. Heavy rains caused the volume level of Kura river increase by 12 cm and level of Sarysu by 20 cm. On 24 May 2010, Muradbeyli village, surrounded by Sarysu on the south and Kura River on the north, completely flooded collapsing the dam. Muradbəyli and and three other villages Qasımbəyli, Əsgərbəyli, Axtaçı
Axtaçi, Sabirabad
Axtaçı is a village and municipality in the Sabirabad Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 302....

 of Sabirabad Rayon as well as Nərimankənd, Musalı
Musali, Saatly
Musalı is a village and municipality in the Saatly Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 879....

, Dəllər and Novruzlu
Novruzlu, Saatly
Novruzlu is a village and municipality in the Saatly Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 582....

 of Saatly Rayon were evacuated.

Sarysu is a primary source for fishing and partially for irrigation.

External links

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