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32-523: The Tso Kar or Tsho kar is a fluctuating salt lake known for its size and depth situated in the Rupshu Plateau and valley in the southern part of Ladakh in India . It is also recognised as India's 42nd Ramsar site . The Tso Kar is connected by an inlet stream at its south-west end to a small lake, Startsapuk Tso, and together they form the 9 km More plains pool , which is dominated by

64-571: A crucial role as a keystone species by regulating phytoplankton and bacterioplankton levels. The Artemia species also serves as an intermediate host for helminth parasites that affect migratory water birds like flamingos, grebes, gulls, shorebirds, and ducks. Vertebrates in saline lakes include certain fish and bird species, though they are sensitive to fluctuations in salinity. Many saline lakes are also alkaline, which imposes physiological challenges for fish, especially in managing nitrogenous waste excretion. Fish species vary by lake; for instance,

96-465: A source of non-saline water; pondweeds and basic nettles grow there, forming floating islands of vegetation in the spring and dying off in the winter. Sedge and large numbers of buttercups grow on the shores of Startsapuk Tso and of the tributaries of the Tso Kar, while some parts of the high basin are marked by steppe vegetation interspersed with tragacanth and pea bushes . The shore of Tso Kar

128-585: Is influenced by processes such as evaporation and deposition. Salt lakes face serious conservation challenges due to climate change, pollution and water diversion. The primary method of classification for salt lakes involves assessing the chemical composition of the water within the lakes, specifically its salinity, pH , and the dominant ions present. Subsaline lakes have a salinity lower than that of seawater but higher than freshwater , typically ranging from 0.5 to 3 grams per liter (g/L). Hyposaline lakes exhibit salinities from 0.5 to 3 g/L, which allows for

160-501: Is not limited to the Aral Sea; salt lakes around the world are shrinking due to excessive water diversion, dam construction, pollution, urbanization, and rising temperatures associated with climate change. The resulting declines cause severe disruptions to local ecosystems and biodiversity, degrades the environment, threatens economic stability, and displaces communities dependent on these lakes for resources and livelihood. In Utah, if

192-501: Is partly covered with a salt crust, which keeps vegetation away from the inflows. Due to the salinity of the Tso Kar, most of the resident fauna is found in its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso. There are large breeding colonies of grebes and brown-headed gulls , and some bar-headed geese , ruddy shelducks and terns . In the vicinity of the lake black-necked cranes and Tibetan grouse are relatively common. The basin of

224-622: Is the largest of the maar lakes of the Oriental Basin, and lies at an elevation of 2320 meters. It is Mexico's deepest natural lake, with a maximum depth of 64 meters, and a mean depth of 38.6 meters. The lake has an area of 1.81 square kilometers. It is both saline and alkaline (pH 8.7-9.2). Lake Alchichica is ecologically unique, with stromatolite deposits and a high degree of endemism. The biota has adapted to extreme conditions characterized by high ionic concentrations of water and poor nutrient content. The dominant stromatolite species are

256-604: The Cofre de Perote volcano, leave the valley in a rain shadow , and the xeric shrublands of the Tehuacán Valley matorral ecoregion occupies the center of the basin, and extend south into the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys. Vegetation includes pine-oak forests and pine-fir forests at higher elevations, with dry scrub pine forests, oak forests, juniper scrub, yucca scrub, halophytic vegetation, and grassland. It includes

288-606: The Leh Manali road passes 30 km west of it. The lake is 540 km east of Srinagar , the capital of Jammu and Kashmir union territory . Accessed from two different routes: Through Leh-Manali route or Pangong Lake route. You can get neighborhood taxis from Leh to reach Tso Kar Lake through the Changtang locale covering absolute distance of 250 kilometers from Leh. Salt lake Salt lakes are classified according to salinity levels. The formation of these lakes

320-474: The Great Salt Lake is not conserved, the state could face potential economic and public health crises, with consequences for air quality, local agriculture, and wildlife. According to “Utah’s Great Salt Lake Strike Team”, in order increase the lake's level within the next 30 years, see average inflows must increase by 472,00 acre-feet per year, which is about a 33% increase in the amount that has reached

352-612: The Llanos de San Juan and Llanos de San Andres. The basin contains several shallow, mostly alkaline lakes . Two ephemeral playa lakes, Totolcinco (El Carmen or Totolcingo) and Tepeyahualco (El Salado), lie in the lowest part of the basin (2300 meters elevation), and remain dry for most of the year. The basin includes six maar lakes, locally called axalpazcos , lying in shallow volcanic craters and sustained by underground water. A northern group of lakes – Alchichica, Quechulac, Atexcac, and La Preciosa – lie southeast of Lake Tepeyahualco, and

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384-489: The Salton Sea is home to species such as carp, striped mullet, humpback sucker, and rainbow trout. Stratification in salt lakes occurs as a result of the unique chemical and environmental processes that cause water to separate into layers based on density . In these lakes, high rates of evaporation often concentrate salts, leading to denser, saltier water sinking to the lake's bottom, while fresher water remains nearer

416-471: The Tso Kar and the adjoining More Plains constitute one of the most important habitats of the kiang , Tibetan gazelles , Tibetan wolves and foxes ; there are himalayan marmots in the higher reaches. Yaks and horses are kept by nomads. Currently the lake basin has no special protection, but there are plans to include it within a national park which may be established in the highlands of south-eastern Ladakh. The Tso Kar lies 160 km south of Leh ;

448-653: The basin are presumed extinct since about 1970. The WWF - Nature Conservancy system of freshwater ecoregions includes the Oriental Basin with the Valley of Mexico, Lerma River, and Lake Chapala in their Lerma-Chapala freshwater ecoregion, based on faunal similarities, especially among the Atherinopsids. Lake Alchichica ( 19°25′N 97°24′W  /  19.417°N 97.400°W  / 19.417; -97.400 ) in Tepeyahualco (municipality) , Puebla ,

480-1029: The diversity of life, primarily supporting specialized organisms such as halophilic bacteria and certain species of brine shrimp . These lakes can have high concentrations of sodium salts and minerals, such as lithium, making such lakes vulnerable to mining interests. Hypersaline lakes can be found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, where salinity can reach ≈440‰. Salt lakes form through complex chemical, geological, and biological processes, influenced by environmental conditions like high evaporation rates and restricted water outflow. As water carrying dissolved minerals ( sodium , potassium , and magnesium ) enters these basins, it gradually evaporates, concentrating these minerals until they precipitate as salt deposits. Then, specific ions interact under controlled temperatures, which leads to solid-solution formation and salt crystal deposition within

512-718: The government is considering pumping freshwater from the Oriental basin to Mexico City to the west and Puebla to the south. The maar lakes, or axalpazcos , of the Oriental Basin are home to a closely knit set of endemic species, one at each crater lake. Some of these include the Atherinopsid fishes Alchichica silverside (Poblana alchichica) , La Preciosa silverside (P. letholepis) , Chignahuapan silverside (P. ferdebueni) , and Quechulac silverside (P. squamata) . Three species of dace ( Evarra bustamantei , E. eigenmanni , and E. tlahuacensis ) formerly native to

544-479: The lack of vertical mixing. Extremophiles , including specific bacteria and archaea , inhabit the hypersaline and oxygen-deficient zones at lower depths. Bacteria and archaea, for example, rely on alternative metabolic processes that do not depend on oxygen. These microorganisms play a critical role in nutrient cycling within salt lakes, as they break down organic material and release by-products that support other microbial communities. Due to limited biodiversity,

576-400: The lake bed. This cycle of evaporation and deposition is the main process to the unique saline environment that characterizes a salt lake. Environmental factors further shape the composition and formation of salt lakes. Seasonal variations in temperature and evaporation drive mineral saturation and promote salt crystallization . In dry regions, water loss during warmer seasons concentrates

608-428: The lake in recent years. Water conservation is viewed as being the most cost-effective and practical strategy to save salt lakes like the Great Salt Lake. Implementing strong water management policies, improving community awareness, and ensuring the return of water flow to these lakes are additional ways that may restore ecological balance. Other proposed methods of maintaining lake levels include cloud seeding and

640-475: The lake's chemistry, supporting only specialized microbial life adapted to extreme environments with high salinity and low oxygen levels. The restricted vertical mixing limits nutrient cycling , creating a favorable ecosystem for halophiles (salt-loving organisms) that rely on these saline conditions for stability and balance. The extreme conditions within stratified salt lakes have a profound effect on aquatic life , as oxygen levels are severely limited due to

672-548: The lake's salts. This creates a dynamic environment where seasonal shifts affect the salt lake's mineral layers, contributing to its evolving structure and composition. Groundwater rich in dissolved ions often serve as primary mineral sources that, combined with processes like evaporation and deposition, contribute to salt lake development. Salt lakes host a diverse range of animals, despite high levels of salinity acting as significant environmental constraints. Increased salinity worsens oxygen levels and thermal conditions, raising

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704-559: The mitigation of dust transmission hotspots. Note: Some of the following are also partly fresh and/or brackish water. Lake Alchichica The Oriental Basin , also known as the Libres-Oriental Basin , Oriental-Serdán Basin or San Juan Plains (in Spanish , Llanos de San Juan or Cuenca de Libres-Oriental) , is an endorheic basin in east-central Mexico. It covers an area of 4,958.60 square kilometers, lying in

736-525: The peaks of two mountains, Thugje (6050 m) and Gursan (6370 m). From the geology of the More Plains, it can be concluded that the Tso Kar in historical times ranged up to this high valley. Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which the Changpa nomads used to export to Tibet . The nomadic settlement of Thugje is located 3 km in the north. There is a tented camp on

768-567: The presence of freshwater species along with some salt-tolerant aquatic organisms. Lake Alchichica in Mexico is a hyposaline lake. Mesosaline lakes have a salinity level ranging from 3 to 35 g/L. An example of a mesosaline lake is Redberry Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada . Hypersaline lakes possess salinities greater than 35 g/L, often reaching levels that can exceed 200 g/L. The extreme salinity levels create harsh conditions that limit

800-417: The restrictive environment limits biodiversity , allowing only specially adapted life forms to survive, which creates unique, highly specialized ecosystems that are distinct from freshwater or less saline habitats. Salt lakes declined worldwide in recent years. The Aral Sea , once of the largest saline lakes with a surface area of 67,499 km in 1960, diminished to approximately 6,990 km in 2016. This trend

832-434: The southern lakes, Aljojuca and San Miguel Tecuitlapa, lie southeast of Lake Totolcinco. The basin also has five dry maars, called xalapazcos . Chief towns in the basin include El Carmen Tequexquitla, Tlaxcala ; Perote, Veracruz ; and Oriental, Puebla . Groundwater levels in the basin have been dropping in recent years because of over-exploitation for irrigation and destruction of natural recharging areas. In addition,

864-585: The spongy type Enthophysalis atrata , Enthophysalis sp. Calothrix cf. Parletina and Calothrix sp. and the columnar stromatolites Enthophysalis lithophyla and Nitzchia sp. In the deep parts of the lake, abundant cladophores develop on the spongy stromatolites, with many cyanobacterial epiphytes Chamaesiphon halophilus , Heteroleibleinia profunda , Mantellum rubrum and Xenococcus candelariae . 23 genera of phytoplankton have been found: fourteen genera of Chrysophyta , five of Cyanophyta and four of Chlorophyta . The dominant species throughout

896-414: The states of Puebla , Tlaxcala , and Veracruz . The climate is temperate and subtropical, semi-arid to subhumid, with summer rains. Average annual temperature 12-16 °C, and annual total precipitation is 400–800 mm. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion covers the mountains surrounding the basin to the west, north, and east. The mountains to the north and west, including

928-462: The surface. These seasonal changes influence the lake's structure, making stratification more pronounced during warmer months due to increasing evaporation, which drives separation between saline and fresher layers in the lake, leading a phenomenon known as meromixis (meromictic state), primarily prevents oxygen from penetrating the deeper layers and create the hypoxic (low oxygen) or anoxic (no oxygen) zones. This separation eventually influenced

960-433: The water's density and viscosity , which demands greater energy for animal movement. Despite these challenges, salt lakes support biota adapted to such conditions with specialized physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Common salt lake invertebrates include various parasites, with around 85 parasite species found in saline waters, including crustaceans and monogeneans . Among them, the filter-feeding brine shrimp plays

992-406: The west bank of the lake which provides accommodation for tourists. Due to the high altitude, the climate is extreme in the winter; temperatures below -40 °C (-40 °F) are not uncommon. In the summer the temperature rises above 30 °C (86 °F), with extreme fluctuations during the day. Precipitation in the form of either rain or snow is extremely rare. The inlets of the Tso Kar are

Tso Kar - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-485: The year are Agmenellum sp., Amphora sp., Chaetoceros similis , Coscinodiscus sp., Cyclotella striata , Nodularia spumigena , Stephanodiscus niagarae and Synechocystis sp. The best represented species best of vascular plants in the axalpazcos are rooted emergent hydrophytes Eleocharis montevidensis , Juncus andicola , J. balticus subsp. mexicanus (syn. J. mexicanus ), Phragmites australis , Scirpus californicus and Typha domingensis ,

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