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https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/862270/lake-urmia-has-become-part-of-history-report-declares-as-nasa-images-confirm-complete-disappearance>
"ERBIL (
Kurdistan24) – In a devastating confirmation of a long-forewarned
environmental catastrophe, the latest satellite imagery from NASA has revealed
the complete disappearance of Lake Urmia, once Iran's vibrant 'turquoise jewel'
and one of the largest saltwater lakes on Earth. According to a stark report
from the Iranian news outlet
Ettelaat Online, the once-vast body of water in
northwestern Iran has now entirely dried up, with the aerial photographs
showing no remaining trace of the lake, signaling the tragic end of a
4,000-year-old ecological and cultural cornerstone.
The grim outcome, the report noted, was not unexpected. Environmental officials
in Iran had issued dire warnings at the beginning of the summer, predicting
that the lake would be 100 percent dry by the season's end. NASA's stark,
earth-toned images now serve as the final, indisputable evidence that this
prophecy has come to pass, marking a point of no return for an ecosystem that
has sustained life in the region for millennia.
Lake Urmia, situated between the West and East Azerbaijan provinces of Iran,
was a natural wonder of immense significance.
As previously detailed in reports by
Ettelaat Online, it once spanned
approximately 5,700 square kilometers with a depth of over 10 meters, ranking
it as the world's second-largest saltwater lake. Its importance was
multifaceted, playing a critical role in the region's climatology, economy, and
social fabric.
It was a vital habitat for unique species, most notably Artemia urmiana, a
brine shrimp that formed the keystone of the food chain for vast flocks of
migratory birds, including flamingos, pelicans, and wild ducks, whose annual
visits were a celebrated natural spectacle. The lake's massive surface area
also acted as a crucial climate regulator, influencing humidity and moderating
temperatures across northwestern Iran.
The lake's demise has been a slow-motion disaster, driven by a combination of
human activity and climatic shifts. In recent years, a perfect storm of
environmental pressures has led to its drastic decline.
These include excessive water extraction from both surface and underground
sources to fuel an expansion of water-intensive agriculture, the unrestrained
construction of dams on the rivers that once fed the lake, and a significant
reduction in regional precipitation.
The statistics charting its collapse are staggering."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
