Lake Abbe
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Infobox body of water tracking".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Lake Abbe, also known as Lake Abhe Bad, is a salt lake, lying on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border. It is one of a chain of six connected lakes, which also includes (from north to south) lakes Gargori, Laitali, Gummare, Bario and Afambo. The lake is the ultimate destination of the Awash River, which is at the center of the Afar Triangle.[1] Lake Abbe is considered one of the most inaccessible areas of the earth. The water itself is known for its flamingos.
Overview
Lake Abbe is the ultimate destination of the waters of the Awash River. It lies at the Afar triple junction, the central meeting place for the three pieces of the Earth's crust, a defining feature of the Afar Depression. Here three pieces of Earth's crust are each pulling away from that central point, though not all at the same speed.[2]
On the northwest shore rises Mount Dama Ali (1069 m), a dormant volcano, while along the southwestern and southern shores extend vast salt flats, 10 km in width. Besides the Awash, seasonal affluents of Lake Abbe include two wadis, the Oleldere and Abuna Merekes, which enter the lake from the west and south, crossing the salt flats. Although the present area of the lake's open water is Script error: No such module "convert"., recent droughts and extraction of water from the Awash River for irrigation has caused the water level of the lake to fall. By 1984, the surface area of the lake had decreased to two thirds of what it was in 1940. During this period about Script error: No such module "convert". of saltflats had formed to the southwest of the lake.[3] Lake Abbe is a hypersaline lake; water containing mineral salts flows in but there is no outflow, and pure water evaporates from the surface.[4] It is also known as an "amplifier lake", the water level fluctuating dramatically in response to quite small changes in climate.[5]
The Afar people have established a settlement near the lake's shore. Lake Abbe is known for its limestone chimneys, which reach heights of Script error: No such module "convert". and from which steam spews forth.[6] These carbonate chimneys are formed by the mixing of lake water and a deeper geothermal fluid.[7][8] Flamingos can also be found on the waters.[9]
Gallery
Climate
The Lake Abbe's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air. It has less than Script error: No such module "convert". mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between Script error: No such module "convert".. Temperatures in the coldest months range between Script error: No such module "convert". on average.
Script error: No such module "weather box".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Robert Mepham, R. H. Hughes, and J. S. Hughes, A directory of African wetlands, (Cambridge: IUCN, UNEP and WCMC, 1992), p. 166
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
Script error: No such module "Side box".
- Template:In lang Photos of Lake Abbe
- ILEC database entry for Lake Abbe
- Recent trip to Lake Abbe with photos (English)
- Photographs of the limestone chimneys of Lake Abbe, February 2015
Script error: No such module "Authority control".