Chatyr-Köl ( ky, Чатыр-Көл, russian: Чатыр-Куль, Chatyr-Kul') is an
endorheic
An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...
alpine
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in the
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
mountains in
At-Bashy District
At-Bashy () is a district of Naryn Region in Kyrgyzstan. The administrative center is at At-Bashy. Its area is , and its resident population was 55,771 in 2021. The mountain lake Chatyr-Kul lies in the southwestern part of the district.
Populati ...
of
Naryn Province
Naryn Region ( ky, Нарын облусу, Naryn oblusu; russian: Нарынская область, Narynskaya oblast) is the largest region ('' oblus'') of Kyrgyzstan. It is located in the east of the country and borders with Chüy Region in t ...
,
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
; it lies in the lower part of
Chatyr-Köl Depression
Chatyr-Köl ( ky, Чатыр-Көл, russian: Чатыр-Куль, Chatyr-Kul') is an endorheic alpine lake in the Tian Shan mountains in At-Bashy District of Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan; it lies in the lower part of Chatyr-Köl Depression near th ...
near the
Torugart Pass
Torugart Pass (; ; ) is a mountain pass in the Tian Shan mountain range near the border between the Naryn Region of Kyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. It is one of two border crossings between Kyrgyzstan and China, the other ...
border crossing into
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The name of the lake means “Celestial Lake” in
Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan
*Kyrgyz people
*Kyrgyz national games
*Kyrgyz language
*Kyrgyz culture
*Kyrgyz cuisine
*Yenisei Kirghiz
*The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China
...
(literally "Roof Lake").
Climate
The mean annual temperature in the lake basin is , with mean temperature of in January, and in July. The maximum temperature in summer is , and the minimum one in winter is . Some 88-90% of the lake basin's 208–269 mm of annual precipitation falls in summer. From October to end of April the lake surface freezes, the ice becoming as much as 0.25-1.5 m thick.
Hydrology
The water of Chatyr Kul Lake is yellowish-green with water transparency of up to . The mineralization of the lake ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 milligrams per liter (chloride, hydrocarbonate, sodium and magnesium type of mineralization). The
salinity
Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...
of the lake is 2 ppt. Mineral sources in the south part of the lake have mineralization of from per liter and pH = 5,8-6,0. Flow rate is in winter and during summer. 41 small streams debouches into the lake, of those 21 originate in Torugart Range and 20 - in Atbashy Range.
Negative water balance of the lake over the last decades causes the decline in the lake level. The mineral water from the sources is cold and has a strong mineral taste and flow first into the small Chatyr Kul lake that is about 1,5 meters higher than the actual Chatyr Kul.
Protection
Since 1998, a section of the lake and its shore (3,200 ha land, 3,954 ha water) is protected as part of the
Karatal-Japyryk Nature Reserve
The Karatal-Japyryk Nature Reserve ( ky, Каратал–Жапырык мамлекеттик коругу, russian: Каратал-Жапырыкский государственный заповедник) is a nature reserve in Naryn Region of ...
. The whole lake is a
game reserve
A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...
(
IUCN category IV
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The enlisting of such areas is par ...
) since 1972. The game reserve was established to protect water fowl, including the
bar-headed goose
The bar-headed goose (''Anser indicus'') is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It ...
. The lake is a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
AMS AMS or Ams may refer to:
Organizations Companies
* Alenia Marconi Systems
* American Management Systems
* AMS (Advanced Music Systems)
* ams AG, semiconductor manufacturer
* AMS Pictures
* Auxiliary Medical Services
Educational institutions
* A ...
, 1948)
File:Operational Navigation Chart F-6, 6th edition.jpg, Map of the region including the Ozero Chatyr-kel' ( DMA, 1985)