Qinghai Lake
Qinghai Lake | |
---|---|
salt lake | |
Basin countries | China |
Surface area | 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi) (2004) 4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007)[1] 4,543 km2 (1,754 sq mi) (2020)[2] |
Max. depth | 32.8 m (108 ft) |
Water volume | 108 km3 (26 cu mi) |
Surface elevation | 3,260 m (10,700 ft) |
Islands | Sand Island, Bird Islands |
Settlements | Haiyan County |
References | [1] |
Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known by
Names
Qinghai Lake | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese name | |||||
Mongolian Cyrillic | Хөх нуур | ||||
Mongolian script | |||||
| |||||
Manchu name | |||||
Manchu script | ᡥᡠᡥᡠ ᠨᠣᠣᡵ | ||||
Romanization | Huhu Noor |
Former names | |
---|---|
Xihai | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Xī Hǎi |
Wade–Giles | Hsi Hai |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Jyutping | Sai1 Hoi2 |
Qinghai is the
In English, Qinghai Lake was formerly known as Ch'inghai Lake or Koko Nor;
The Tibetans also separately calqued the name as Tibetan: མཚོ་སྔོན་པོ་, Wylie: Mtsho-sngon-po, THL: Tso ngönpo "Blue Lake, Sea".
Geography
Qinghai Lake lies about 100 kilometers (62 mi) west of
Twenty-three rivers and streams empty into Qinghai Lake, most of them seasonal. Five permanent streams provide 80% of the total influx.[14] The relatively low inflow and high evaporation rates have turned Qinghai saline and alkaline; the salt concentration is presently about 1.4% by weight (seawater has a salt concentration of about 3.5%), with a pH of 9.3.[15] It has increased in salinity and basicity since the early Holocene.[15]
At the tip of the peninsula on the western side of the lake are Cormorant Island and Egg Island, collectively known as the Bird Islands.
Qinghai Lake became isolated from the Yellow River about 150,000 years ago.[15] If the water level were to rise by approximately 50 meters (160 ft), the connection to the Yellow River would be reestablished via the low pass to the east used by highway S310.
18,000 years ago, just after the end of the
Climate
The lake often remains frozen for three months continuously in winter.[17]
Climate data for Qinghai Lake (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
7.2 (45.0) |
25.4 (77.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.1 (53.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.0 (62.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.3 (9.9) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
11.7 (53.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
0.8 (33.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −17.9 (−0.2) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
5.9 (42.6) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −26.9 (−16.4) |
−25.8 (−14.4) |
−23.6 (−10.5) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−24.5 (−12.1) |
−26.9 (−16.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1 (0.0) |
2 (0.1) |
6 (0.2) |
17 (0.7) |
45 (1.8) |
65 (2.6) |
87 (3.4) |
85 (3.3) |
54 (2.1) |
20 (0.8) |
3 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
386 (15.1) |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
48 | 44 | 46 | 53 | 61 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 49 | 58 |
Source 1: China Meteorological Data Service Center[17] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: www.yr.no (temperature averages) [18] |
History
During the
During Nationalist rule (1928-1949), the Han formed a majority of Qinghai Province's residents, although Chinese Muslims (Hui) dominated the government.[21] The Kuomintang Hui general Ma Bufang, having invited Kazakh Muslims,[22] joined the governor of Qinghai and other high ranking Qinghai and national government officials in conducting a joint Kokonuur Lake Ceremony to worship the God of the Lake. During the ritual, the Chinese national anthem was sung and all participants bowed to a Portrait of Kuomintang founder Sun Yat-sen as well as to the God of the Lake. Participants, both Han and Muslim, made offerings to the god.[23]
After the
Prior to the 1960s, 108 freshwater rivers emptied into the lake. As of 2003, 85% of the river mouths have dried up, including the lake's largest tributary, the Buha River. In between 1959 and 1982, there had been an annual water level drop of 10 centimeters (3.9 in), which was reversed at a rate of 10 cm/year (3.9 in/year) between 1983 and 1989, but has continued to drop since. The Chinese Academy of Sciences reported in 1998 the lake was again threatened with loss of surface area due to livestock over-grazing, land reclamations, and natural causes.[24] Surface area decreased 11.7% in the period from 1908 to 2000.[25] During that period, higher lake floor areas were exposed and numerous water bodies separated from the rest of the main lake. In the 1960s, the 48.9-square-kilometer (18.9 sq mi) Gahai Lake (尕海, Gǎhǎi) appeared in the north; Shadao Lake (沙岛, Shādǎo), covering an area of 19.6 km2 (7.6 sq mi) to the northeast, followed in the 1980s, along with Haiyan Lake (海晏, Hǎiyàn) of 112.5 km2 (43.4 sq mi).[26] Another 96.7 km2 (37.3 sq mi) daughter lake split off in 2004. In addition, the lake has now split into half a dozen more small lakes at the border. Qinghai Provincial Remote Sensing Center, attributed the separation of Qinghai Lake to shrinkage of the water surface as a result of a lowered water level and desertification in the region. The water surface has shrunk by 312 km2 (120 sq mi) over the last three decades.[27]
Wildlife
The lake is located at the crossroads of several
There are five native fish species: The edible
Culture
There is an island in the western part of the lake with a temple and a few hermitages called "Mahādeva, the Heart of the Lake" (mTsho snying Ma hā de wa) which historically was home to a Buddhist monastery. The temple was also used for religious purposes and ceremonies.[29] No boat was used during summer, so monks and pilgrims traveled to and from only when the lake froze over in winter. A nomad described the size of the island by saying that: "if in the morning a she-goat starts to browse the grass around it clockwise and its kid anti-clockwise, they will meet only in the night, which shows how big the island is."[30] It is also known as the place to which Gushri Khan and other Khoshut Mongols migrated during the 1620s.[31]
The lake is currently circumnavigated by pilgrims, mainly Tibetan Buddhists, especially every Horse Year of the 12-year cycle. Nikolay Przhevalsky estimated it would take about eight days by horse or 15 walking to circumambulate the lake, but pilgrims report it takes about 18 days on horseback, and one took 23 days walking to complete the circuit.[32]
Gallery
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Rapeseed fields
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Grassland near the lake
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Gya'yi Monastery (རྒྱ་ཡེ་དགོན) at Qinghai Lake
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Yurt on the shore
See also
- Qinghai Lake railway station
- Tour of Qinghai Lake
- North West Nuclear Weapons Research and Design Academy
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Area of Qinghai Lake Has Increased Continuously". China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- Xinhua News. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ Hamer (2016).
- ^ Columbia Encycl. (2001).
- ^ Lorenz, Andreas (31 May 2012), "Old and New China Meet along the Yellow River", Der Spiegel, Hamburg: Spiegel Verlag.
- ^ a b Bell (2017), p. 4.
- ^ Zhu & al. (1999), p. 374.
- ^ a b c d Harris (2008), pp. 130–132.
- ^ Stanford (1917), p. 21.
- ^ Huang (2018), p. 58.
- ^ Xiyu Tongwen Zhi (1763).
- ^ Buffetrille 1994, p. 2; Gruschke 2001, pp. 90 ff.
- S2CID 53463010.
- ]
- ^ a b c d e Zhang & al. (2015).
- S2CID 216231872. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ a b 中国地面气候标准值月值(1981-2010) (in Chinese (China)). China Meteorological Data Service Center. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Climate: Qinghai Lake, China". Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Sanders (2010), pp. 2–3, 386, 600.
- ^ Perdue (2005), pp. 310–312.
- ^ Hutchings (2003), p. 351.
- ISBN 978-0-7425-1144-6. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ Uradyn Erden Bulag (2002), p. 51.
- ^ "China's Qinghai Lake drying up". World Tibet Network News. March 27, 1998. Archived from the original on May 29, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2004.
- ^ People's Daily. Archived 2016-11-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Two New Saltwater Lakes Separate from Qinghai Lake". fpeng.peopledaily.com. 2001-10-26. Archived from the original on 2003-11-07.
- ^ Qinghai Lake splits due to deterioration. Chinadaily.com.cn (2004-02-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-27.
- ^ Su (2008), p. 19.
- ^ Gruschke (2001).
- ^ Buffetrille (1994), pp. 2–3.
- ^ Shakabpa (1962).
- ^ Buffetrille (1994), p. 2.
Bibliography
- "Qinghai", Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.), New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
- 《欽定西域同文志》 [Imperial Glossary of the Western Regions] (in Chinese), Beijing, 1763.
- Bell, Daniel (2017). Syntactic Change in Xining Mandarin (PDF) (PhD thesis). Newcastle: Newcastle University..
- Buffetrille, Katia (Winter 1994), "The Blue Lake of Amdo and Its Island: Legends and Pilgrimage Guide", The Tibet Journal, XIX (4).
- Gruschke, Andreas (2001), "The Realm of Sacred Lake Kokonor", The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces, vol. I: The Qinghai Part of Amdo, Bangkok: White Lotus Press, pp. 93 ff, ISBN 974-7534-59-2.
- Hamer, Ashley (10 June 2016), "What the Color Grue Means about the Impact of Language", Curiosity.
- Harris, Richard B. (2008), Wildlife Conservation in China: Preserving the Habitat of China's Wild West, M.E. Sharpe.
- Huang Fei (2018), Dongchuan in Eighteenth-Century Southwest China, Reshaping the Frontier Landscape, Vol. 10, Leiden: Brill, ISBN 9789004362567.
- Hutchings, Graham (2003), Modern China: A Guide to a Century of Change, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 351.
- Perdue, Peter C. (2005), China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Sanders, Alan (2010), Historical Dictionary of Mongolia, Scarecrow Press.
- Shakabpa, Tsepon W.D. (1962), Tibet: A Political History, New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Stanford, Edward (1917), Complete Atlas of China, 2nd ed., London: China Inland Mission.
- ISBN 978-3-577-14380-6.
- Zhang; et al. (2015), "Article 9780: Gymnocypris przewalskii (Cyprinidae) on the Tibetan Plateau", Scientific Reports, vol. 5.
- Zhu Yongzhong; et al. (1999), "Education among the Minhe Monguo", China's National Minority Education: Culture, Schooling, and Development, New York: Falmer Press, pp. 341–384, ISBN 9781135606626.
External links
- Media related to Lake Qinghai at Wikimedia Commons
- (in Chinese) Qinghai Lake Protection and Utilization Administration Bureau (official)
- (in Chinese) Qinghai Lake Tourism and Culture Network (official)
- More Birds in Qinghai Lake (Eastday.com.cn 07/17/2001)
- Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. .