Sasykkol ( kz, Сасықкөл, ''Sasyqköl'') is a

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 eastern

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. It is located near . It has an area of 600 km² (736 km² when water level is high), average depth of 3.3 m, and maximum depth of 4.7 m. Fishery on the lake is common.

Water bird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

s including the

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type speci ...

, and

spoonbill Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...

can be found here.

Description

Sasykkol lake (translated from the Kazakh language "Sasyk" - rotten, fetid;" Kol " - lake), in the delta of the

Alakol Biosphere Reserve The Alakol Biosphere Reserve (established 2013) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in Kazakhstan, within the desert zone of Eurasia in the central part of the Alakol inter-mountain depression. The reserve lies on the Central Asian–Indian b ...

, flows the Tentek river in the South, and the river also flows into the Sasykkol lake. The average depth of the lake is about 3 m, and the maximum -4.7 m. The average annual water level varies up to 60 cm due to the fact that the lake is flowing. Through the river Zhinishkesu water goes to Lake Koshkarkol and then flows into

Lake Alakol Alakol Lake ( kk, Алакөл, , from Turkic "motley lake") is a lake located in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, part of the Almaty and Shyghyz regions, east central Kazakhstan. Its elevation is above sea level. The lake is the northwest extensio ...

. Since the water in the lake is fresh, its mineralization varies during the year from 0.27 to 2.16 g/L. Lake Sasykkol is part of the

, designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

as part of its

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

in 2013.

References

LakeNet Profile

Sasykkol Sasykkol ( kz, Сасықкөл, ''Sasyqköl'') is a lake in eastern Kazakhstan. It is located near . It has an area of 600 km2 (736 km2 when water level is high), average depth of 3.3 m, and maximum depth of 4.7 m. Fishery on the lake i ...

Balkhash-Alakol Basin {{Kazakhstan-geo-stub