Chott Melrhir

Coordinates: 34°20′N 6°20′E / 34.333°N 6.333°E / 34.333; 6.333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Chott Melrhir
Endorheic salt lake
Catchment area68,750 km2 (26,540 sq mi)[1][2]
Basin countriesAlgeria
Surface area6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi)[3]
Official nameChott Melghir
Designated4 June 2003
Reference no.1296[4]

Chott Melrhir (

endorheic chott-kind of salt lake in northeastern Algeria. It is the westernmost part of a series of depressions, which extend from the Gulf of Gabès into the Sahara. They were created between Miocene and Early Pleistocene as a result of compression accompanying the formation of the Atlas Mountains.[5] With the maximum area of about 6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Algeria.[3] It lies almost entirely below sea level and contains the lowest point in Algeria, −40 meters (−130 feet).[6] Its size varies over the year and is usually larger than 130 km (81 mi) from east to west.[7] The nearby cities are Biskra (60 km north-west), El Oued and Touggourt (85 km south).[8]

Hydrology, geology and geography

During the rain season in winter, the lake is filled by numerous wadi (periodically drying rivers), mostly from north and north-west. The largest of them are the Djedi and Arab[2][9] running from west to east down the slopes of Aurès Mountains.[10] Others include Abiod, Beggour Mitta, Biskra, Bir Az Atrous, Cheria, Demmed, Dermoun, Derradj, Djedeida, Djemorah, Halail, Horchane, Ittel, Mechra, Melh, Mzi, Messad, Oum El Ksob, Soukies, Tadmit and Zeribet.[1][11] In summer, the lake and most of the rivers feeding it dry out, and Chott Melrhir turns into a salt pan.[3][12] The annual water evaporation varies between 9.6 and 20 km3, and evaporation from soil nearby the lake can reach 14 km3.[2]

Chott Melrhir is separated from the nearby Chott Meorouane, which lies south-west, by a stripe of permanently dry land which can be as narrow as 4 kilometers in some places.[8] The bottom of the lake is mostly composed of gypsum and mud and is covered in salt in summer. The lake emits a garlic-like odor.[13] Although the dry soil in and around the lake appears arable, it is nearly barren due to the high concentration of salt. For the same reason, the soil absorbs much condensation overnight that keeps it partly humid during much of the day.[14]

Climate

Houbara bustard

The climate in the Chott Melrhir is hot and arid with high evaporation and low precipitation. The average lowest and highest temperatures are 11.4 and 34.2 °C, respectively, and the minimum temperature is about 0 °C. Annual precipitation is below 160 mm. The winds have a speed between 2.7 and 5.3 m/s and are mostly directed south-east between June and September and north-west between autumn and early spring. Sandstorms are more frequent in winter and late summer and last 39 days per year on average.[1][2]

Flora and fauna

The shallow waters of the lake contain scarce vegetation composed of 72 species of plants which have adapted to salty water, such as sea lavender (

List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.[17]

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 1112-3680. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2010-06-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Chott Melghir Archived November 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Ministere de l'Agriculture. Direction Generale des Forets (in French)
  3. ^ a b c В. М. Котляков Мельгир (Chott Melrhir)[permanent dead link], Словарь современных географических названий (Dictionary of modern geographical names), 2003–2006
  4. ^ "Chott Melghir". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. ISBN 0-19-924515-0
    , p. 113
  6. ISBN 1-60239-727-9
    , p. 10
  7. ^ Chott Melrhir, Encyclopædia Britannica on-line
  8. ^
    ISBN 2-88032-949-3
    pp. 23–24
  9. ^ Chott Melhrir Archived 2011-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Jean-Louis Ballais. Des oueds mythiques aux rivières artificielles: l'hydrographie du Bas-Sahara algérien (in French). pp. 107–127.
  11. ^ Annales des mines: Mémoires, Cadrilian-Gœury et Vor. Dalmont, 1880 pp. 154, 159, 172
  12. ^ Algérie. États et Territoires (in French)
  13. ^ The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology, Taylor and Francis (1871) p. 377
  14. ^ Henry Woodward Geological Magazine, Volume 1, Cambridge University Press., 1864, p. 28
  15. ISBN 2-88032-300-2
    , p. 28
  16. ^ Samraoui, Boudjéma; et al. (2006). "Large branchiopods (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Notostraca and Spinicaudata) from the salt lakes of Algeria" (PDF). J. Limnol. 65 (2): 83–88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  17. ^ The List of Wetlands of International Importance, p. 5

External links

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