{"id":11812,"date":"2025-02-04T23:22:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T22:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sondainternacional.com\/?post_type=time&p=11812"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:37:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T11:37:23","slug":"the-disappearance-of-lake-urmia-in-iran","status":"publish","type":"time","link":"https:\/\/sondainternacional.com\/en\/elements\/time\/the-disappearance-of-lake-urmia-in-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"The disappearance of Lake Urmia in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

These two images taken by Landsat imagery on August 25, 1998 and September 7, 2023 show the severe shrinking of Lake Urmia<\/strong>, in the West Azerbaijan Province of north west Iran. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n

The largest lake in the Middle East and one of the largest saltwater lakes on earth, Lake Urmia at its greatest extent, once covered<\/a> a surface area of 5,000 square kilometers. The Lake\u2019s ecosystem was relied upon by a host of animal, plant and microbial species as well as the regional economy and the national tourism industry. It has been recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar protected wetland site due to its importance, however, consec<\/a>u<\/a>tive droughts,<\/a> mismanagement of ground water resources and the construction of dams and reservoirs along the 60 tributaries that feed into the lake, have reduced 95% of its volume over the last two <\/a>decades<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n

With its future at risk a restoration plan was developed by Iran\u2019s government in 2013 entailing multiple measures including water transfers, efficiency regulations and controls<\/a> on agricultural usage and extraction. The lake\u2019s surface was last measured in November 2024 at 850 square kilometers, or 17% of its historic potential, according to figures<\/a> from the Sharif University Lake Urmia Research Project. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n

1998<\/strong>: August 25, 1998, the Landsat 5 satellite. Source: Nasa Earth Observatory
2023<\/strong>: September 7, 2023, the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9. Source: Nasa Earth Observatory<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t