Lake Eyre Size report
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is a shallow salt lake located in the northern desert region of South Australia and is a seasonal lake. It is Australia's largest lake when. It rarely fills up. Therefore, its area is recorded as 0-9,500 square kilometers.
The most unusual feature of Lake Eyre is that it is rare to have water in the lake. The region receives less than 127mm of annual precipitation, so Lake Eyre is often exposed only as a dry lakebed covered in a shimmering salt crust. On average, the lake is said to be filled with water only twice every 100 years.
The pink, orange, and yellow Lake Eyre epitomize the spectacular beauty of South Australia's outback. The lake is a white salt pond that shimmers silver in the Australian sun. Plenty of water results in lush greenery and flocks of birds, and the lake also takes on a pink and orange hue.
Lake Eyre Introduction
Lake Eyre is a tectonic lake formed due to the subsidence of rock formations about 30,000 years ago. The fault separated the original outlet of Lake Eyre, and the water of Lake Eyre continued to evaporate, so the area continued to shrink. Lake Eyre lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin, which is drained only by intermittent streams. When seasonal rains arrive, water fills the lakebed to some degree. During the last 150 years, Lake Eyre has been filled only three times. When brimming, it is Australia's largest lake. The Lake Eyre basin has no estuary and is one of the largest internal flow basins in the world. The main connecting rivers are Cooper Creek and Warburton River.
The Arabana, the Aboriginal people of the Lake Eyre region, have lived in the Lake Eyre watershed for thousands of years. Lake Eyre has been an important spiritual sanctuary for Aboriginal people since ancient times. The lake takes its name from Edward John Eyre, the first European who discovered it in 1840. In 1985, a national park was established in the Lake Eyre area. The park covers an area of 12,800 square kilometers, including the north and south parts of Lake Eyre and part of the desert landscape in the northern part of the lake area.
Lake Eyre Size
The lake constitutes the lowest point on the Australian continent. The lowest end of the lake is 15 meters (50 feet) below sea level, and the surface elevation is 9 m (30 ft) below sea level when full. The average depth increased 1.5 meters in 3 years and 4 meters every 10 years. The maximum surface area covers 10,088 square kilometers (4,281 square miles). It is divided into two lakes, north and south, and connected by a waterway Goyder Channel. North Lake Eyre is 144 kilometers (90 miles) long and 65 kilometers (40 miles) wide; South Lake Eyre is 65 kilometers (40 miles) long and about 24 kilometers (15 miles) wide.
Hydrology
The water in Lake Eyre mainly comes from river water and rainfalls. The average annual rainfall in the Lake Eyre region is less than 120mm, and the annual evaporation is 2,500mm. During the dry season, when the river flows westward from the mountains, the losses are great due to evaporation and seepage. Lake Eyre often dries up, and the lake surface shrinks into a salt pool. In the rainy season, the river flows into the lake from the northeast, and the rainfall will determine if the river can reach Lake Eyre. Lake Eyre will evaporate after a small to medium flood late next summer.
The water in Lake Eyre is pink when it has high salinity. Biologists have shown that this wonderful pink is the work of a microorganism. In extreme salinity, the microbe produces a red pigment that absorbs sunlight and turns the lake red. As the lake water's salinity changes, the water's color also changes in hue from reddish to deep red. If the lake water continues to decrease, the lake bed will slowly crack into pieces of red land, especially at night; the desert-like lake bed looks like the moon's surface.
Ecology
Water is essential for nurturing life, and as long as there is water, the desolate Lake Eyre will immediately become vibrant. Plants such as Stuart desert peas, daisies, weeds, etc., will suddenly grow from the saline soil, completing the cycle of life before the water evaporates. Under the nourishment of the rain, the algae quickly recovered, and the fish and shrimp eggs in the mud also hatched quickly, attracting many birds to forage, such as Australian gannets and white seagulls red-necked sandpipers, etc.
However, once the water flow is interrupted, the lake water will evaporate quickly at a high temperature. The salt in the water will gradually increase, and the fish can only die in the salt water. The chicks must learn to fly before the lake dries up, after which they follow the adults and leave.
Final Words
Deep in the desert country of northern South Australia, Lake Eyre is a temporary feature of this flat, arid landscape. The Australian continent is a continent with a small number of lakes. Since the Tropic of Cancer passes through the central part of the Australian continent, most areas have little precipitation and lack surface water, so it is difficult to form large lakes. In the 1960s, some racers found the dry lake bed covered with a layer of salt that was not only hard but extremely flat, making it an ideal venue for breaking land speed records. With the arrival of the rainy season, the speed racing season will naturally end, and this is a good time to hold sailing activities.
