Lake Hala

Lake Hala (also: Hala Hu, Har Hu), is a closed lake located at 4078m above sea level in the Qilian mountains, at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Province, China.

Lake Hala
Lake Hala in the Qilian Shan
Lake Hala
Location	China, Qinghai
Coordinates	38°18′N 97°36′E
Primary outflows	no
Surface area	596 km2 (230 sq mi)
Max. depth	65 m (213 ft)
Surface elevation	4,078 m (13,379 ft)

Its surface area is 596 km². It is a brackish lake with a salinity of ca 1.8% (18 psu). The shore zone is relatively shallow, while the maximum depth at the center of the lake is 65 m. The lake catchment is a basin of 4690 km² without an outflow. The highest surrounding mountains (Shule Nanshan north of the lake), exceed 5800 m above sea level.^[1]

Due to the influence of the surrounding glaciers, the water level of the lake and its ecosystem reacts sensitively to meltwater pulses.^[2][3]

References

1. Wünnemann, Bernd; Wagner, Johannes; Zhang, Yongzhan; Yan, Dada; Wang, Rong; Shen, Yan; Fang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Jiawu (2012). "Implications of diverse sedimentation patterns in Hala Lake, Qinghai Province, China for reconstructing Late Quaternary climate". Journal of Paleolimnology. 48 (4): 725–749. doi:10.1007/s10933-012-9641-2. S2CID 129834112.
2. Yan, Dada; Wünnemann, Bernd (2014). "Late Quaternary water depth changes in Hala Lake, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, derived from ostracod assemblages and sediment properties in multiple sediment records". Quaternary Science Reviews. 95: 95–114. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.04.030.
3. Aichner, Bernhard; Wünnemann, Bernd; Callegaro, Alice; van der Meer, Marcel T. J.; Yan, Dada; Zhang, Yongzhan; Barbante, Carlo; Sachse, Dirk (2022). "Asynchronous responses of aquatic ecosystems to hydroclimatic forcing on the Tibetan Plateau". Communications Earth & Environment. 3 (1): 3. doi:10.1038/s43247-021-00325-1. S2CID 245830274.