Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar (), is an artificial

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

created in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

between the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

and the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

rivers.

History

In 1956, the southern part of the Tharthar depression was turned into an artificial reservoir to collect floodwaters of the

River. The water flows via an artificial inlet canal, named Tharthar Canal. The canal diverts the excess water, by means of a regulator, Samarra Barrage. It merges with the lake in its southeastern bank. The lake has an artificial outlet called Taksim Tharthar Canal, which drains to the

River directly. The canal, after 28 km (17.4 mi) from its outlet, bifurcates to another canal called "Dhira'a Dijla" (Arm of Tigris) that returns water back to the Tigris River. Lake Tharthar was the site of an Iraqi raid in 2005 against an insurgent training base in the region.

Description

The Tharthar depression was formed during the

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

age, mainly by

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ification, due to dissolving of gypsum rocks of the Fatha Formation nearby. Tharthar covers roughly and flows from the central and eastern parts of the

Sinjar Mountains The Sinjar Mountains (, , ), are a mountain range that runs east to west, rising above the surrounding alluvial steppe plains in northwestern Iraq to an elevation of . The highest segment of these mountains, about long, lies in the Nineveh Gov ...

and adjacent hills, with a floor of –3m above sea level. The maximum length and width of the depression are 120 and 48 km, respectively. The eastern rim of the depression is higher than the western one; the heights of both rims are and , respectively. The main purpose of the Tharthar Lake is to collect excess water of the Tigris River during flood seasons and to recharge water to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers during dry seasons, when there is shortage of water in both rivers. Moreover, it aims to wash out the salts from the stored water in the lake by means of natural continuous draining of the stored water.

Flora and fauna

Tharthar Lake and the surrounding areas are considered one of the most important grazing areas in Iraq, including the wide wheat and corn fields covering the area. The area harbors many species of animals and vegetation.

Birds

Tharthar Lake is considered the main wintering grounds for many threatened species of migrant birds such as

saker falcon The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a large falcon species. It breeds from Central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria. It is a partial migrant, which means that some part of the population is migratory, some part is not. In Eur ...

MacQueen's bustard The Asian houbara (''Chlamydotis macqueenii''), also known as MacQueen's bustard, is a large bird in the bustard family. It is native to the desert and steppe regions of Asia, west from the Sinai Peninsula extending across Iran and further north ...

, and

sociable lapwing The sociable lapwing (''Vanellus gregarius''), referred to as the sociable plover in the UK, is a wader in the plover family. It is a fully migratory bird, breeding in Kazakhstan and wintering in the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Sudan. ...

. 54 bird species were seen in Tharthar lake including:

pallid harrier The pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier subfamily. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ''Circus'' is from ''kirkos'' (circle), referring to a bird of prey named for its circling fl ...

European roller The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the Coraciidae, roller family breeding in Europe. Its range extends into the Maghreb, West Asia and Central Asia. It winters in southern Africa, primarily in dry wooded savanna and ...

, and

black-tailed godwit The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, '' Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and ches ...

. All these near threatened species were recorded on passage and the endemic race of

hooded crow The hooded crow (''Corvus cornix''), also colloquially called just hoodie, is a Eurasian bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. Widely distributed, it is found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle E ...

'Corvus cornix capellanus''">Corvus_cornix_capellanus.html" ;"title="'Corvus cornix capellanus">'Corvus cornix capellanus''was present.

Mammals

Golden jackals have been observed regularly at the site. Striped hyenas and caracals were reported by local people near the lake edge.

Reptiles

Many species of reptiles have been observed such as

Turkish gecko The Mediterranean house gecko (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the ...

and Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard.

Fish

Ten fish species have been found in the lake including: ''

Aspius ''Leuciscus'' is a genus of freshwater and brackish water ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. They are inland water fishes commonly called Eurasian daces. The ...

vorax'', ''

yellowfin barbel The yellowfin barbel (''Luciobarbus xanthopterus'') is a species of cyprinid fish endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other define ...

'', ''B. luteus'', ''B. sharpeyi'', ''

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the w ...

'' , ''Cyprnion kais'', ''

common carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

'', ''

Silurus ''Silurus'' is a genus of catfishes native to Europe and Asia. Species There are currently 20 recognized species in this genus: * '' Silurus aristotelis'' Garman, 1890 (Aristotle's catfish) * '' Silurus asotus'' Linnaeus, 1758 (Amur catfish) * ...

triostegus'', '' Chondrostoma regium'', and '' Liza abu''.

Plants

Tharthar Lake and the surrounding area contains about 38 species of plants. Four main habitat types observed within the Al-Tharthar Lake and Al Dhebaeji Field area: *Inland standing water: aquatic communities – rooted submerged vegetation, characterized by ''

Vallisneria spiralis ''Vallisneria spiralis'', also known as straight vallisneria, tape grass, or eel grass is a common aquarium plant that prefers good light and a nutrient rich substrate. In the wild, it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. ...

'', ''

Potamogeton crispus ''Potamogeton crispus'', the crisp-leaved pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed or curled pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant (hydrophyte) native to Eurasia but an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America. Descr ...

'' and ''

Potamogeton perfoliatus ''Potamogeton perfoliatus'' (claspingleaf pondweed, perfoliate pondweed, redhead grass) is a perennial aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae occurring in both standing and flowing freshwater habitats. It is widely distributed globally, oc ...

''. *Flooded communities: periodically or occasionally flooded land dominated by ''

Cyperus ''Cyperus'' is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. Description They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving ...

'' sp., '' Rumex dentatus'', '' Polygonum argyrocoleon'', ''

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

'' sp. and ''

Bacopa monnieri ''Bacopa monnieri'', also known as water hyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, herb of grace, and Indian pennywort, is a perennial, creeping herb native to wetland areas globally. It is used in Ayurveda. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administ ...

''. *Marsh vegetation: helophytic vegetation - reedbeds, characterized by ''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Description ''Phragmites australis' ...

''. *Terrestrial vegetation: desert shrub characterized by ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Ta ...

'' sp., ''

Alhagi maurorum ''Alhagi maurorum'' is a species of legume commonly known, variously, as camelthorn, Caspian manna,The name ''Alhagi maurorum'', replacing Linnaeus' ''Hedysarum alhagi'', was first published in ''Vorlesungen der Churpfälzischen physicalisch-ö ...

'', ''Atraplex leucoclada'' and ''Cornulaca aucheri''.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Iraq Geography of Iraq Tharthar Extreme points of Asia Tharthar Tharthar Al Anbar Governorate Saladin Governorate