Solar Lake
Encyclopedia
Solar Lake is a saline
desert lake located on the edge of the Red Sea
, about 18 km south of Eilat in the Sinai Peninsula
, Taba, Egypt, close to its borders with Israel. A small lake of high salinity, it is the site of complex biochemical phenomena, linked to cycles of evaporation
and of infiltration of waters.
Solar Lake became isolated from the Red Sea as littoral
sediment
s closed off an embayment between two rocky headlands. The saline waters of the Gulf of Aqaba
that seep into Solar Lake are further concentrated by evaporation in the lake. It is believed that in addition to losses from evaporation, there is a crack system at the bottom of the lake
Monohydrocalcite
and other carbonates
appear to be deposited in Solar Lake by the action of benthic cyanobacterial mats (stromatolite
), which may be 1 m thick..
At night the top meter of surface water loses heat to the cold desert air but insulates the lower layer. The insulated lower layer continues to gain solar energy each day and to accumulate heavy brine from above. Solar Lake develops some of the highest temperature solar-heated waters of any lake: certain layers can reach as high as 60 °C, temperatures matched only by some geothermal lakes. Due to the strong layering during certain times, the thermal gradients can be as high as 18 ºCm−1.
In the summer, the lake turns over and becomes well-mixed thermally and in salinity. The residence time
of water in the lake is believed to be 5.5–6 months
is also a system for storing solar energy in a volume of highly saline water using the same principles as occur naturally Solar Lake.
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
desert lake located on the edge of the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, about 18 km south of Eilat in the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
, Taba, Egypt, close to its borders with Israel. A small lake of high salinity, it is the site of complex biochemical phenomena, linked to cycles of evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
and of infiltration of waters.
Solar Lake became isolated from the Red Sea as littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s closed off an embayment between two rocky headlands. The saline waters of the Gulf of Aqaba
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea. In pre twentieth-century and modern sources it is often named the Gulf of Eilat, as Eilat is its predominant Israeli city ....
that seep into Solar Lake are further concentrated by evaporation in the lake. It is believed that in addition to losses from evaporation, there is a crack system at the bottom of the lake
Monohydrocalcite
Monohydrocalcite
Monohydrocalcite is a mineral that is a hydrous form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3·H2O. It was formerly also known by the name hydrocalcite, which is now discredited by the IMA. It is a trigonal mineral which is white when pure...
and other carbonates
Carbonate minerals
Carbonate minerals are those minerals containing the carbonate ion: CO32-.-Anhydrous carbonates:*Calcite group: Trigonal**Calcite CaCO3**Gaspeite CO3**Magnesite MgCO3**Otavite CdCO3**Rhodochrosite MnCO3**Siderite FeCO3**Smithsonite ZnCO3...
appear to be deposited in Solar Lake by the action of benthic cyanobacterial mats (stromatolite
Stromatolite
Stromatolites or stromatoliths are layered accretionary structures formed in shallow water by the trapping, binding and cementation of sedimentary grains by biofilms of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria ....
), which may be 1 m thick..
At night the top meter of surface water loses heat to the cold desert air but insulates the lower layer. The insulated lower layer continues to gain solar energy each day and to accumulate heavy brine from above. Solar Lake develops some of the highest temperature solar-heated waters of any lake: certain layers can reach as high as 60 °C, temperatures matched only by some geothermal lakes. Due to the strong layering during certain times, the thermal gradients can be as high as 18 ºCm−1.
In the summer, the lake turns over and becomes well-mixed thermally and in salinity. The residence time
Residence time
Residence time is the average amount of time that a particle spends in a particular system. This measurement varies directly with the amount of substance that is present in the system....
of water in the lake is believed to be 5.5–6 months
See also
A solar pondSolar pond
A solar pond is a pool of saltwater which acts as a large-scale solar thermal energy collector with integral heat storage for supplying thermal energy...
is also a system for storing solar energy in a volume of highly saline water using the same principles as occur naturally Solar Lake.
External links
- De mystérieux lacs salés ? (French)