Which is the largest saltwater lake in China?

The largest saltwater lake in China is Qinghai Lake.

Qinghai Lake is the largest inland saltwater lake in China and the second largest in the world, with an area of 4,402 square kilometers, an altitude of 3,200 meters and a circumference of 360 kilometers. Known as "the most beautiful lake in China" and "national tourist business card", it is the brand image and "leading" scenic spot of Qinghai tourism. It is a treasure house of biodiversity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, an internationally important wetland, a national nature reserve, a national key scenic spot and a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and has the reputation of "Sapphire on the Plateau" and "Eight Most Beautiful Riding Paradise in China".

Introduction to Qinghai Lake: Qinghai Lake is a tectonic faulted lake, and the edge of the lake basin is mostly connected with the surrounding mountains by faults. At the early stage of lake formation, 200-200 million years ago, it was an outflow freshwater lake, which was connected with the Yellow River system. By 6.5438+0.3 million years ago, due to neotectonic movement, the surrounding mountains were strongly cracked and uplifted. Since the end of Pliocene, the Sun Moon Mountain in the east of the lake has been violently cracked and uplifted, blocking the Daotang River, which was originally injected into the Yellow River, and forcing it to flow into Qinghai Lake from east to west, so Gahai and Erhai Lake appeared. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the circumference of Qinghai Lake was thousands of miles, in the Tang Dynasty it was 400 kilometers, and in the Qing Dynasty it was reduced to 350 kilometers. There is an ancient lake embankment about 20 kilometers in front of the Buha River Delta. ChaHancheng (built in Han Dynasty), 25 kilometers east of the lake, was originally by the lake. The east and west sides retreated 25 km and 20 km respectively, and the water level dropped by about 100 m. Qinghai Lake is oval. The topographic map published in 1970s measured that the water level of the lake was about 365,438+0.95m. The lake area was 4,473 square kilometers. 1988 The internal water level is 3 193.59 meters, and the lake area is 4282 square kilometers. 1955 ~ 1988 The water level drops by about 10 cm every year. The volume of the lake is 73.9 billion cubic meters, the longest is about 104 km, the widest is about 62 km, the maximum water depth is 3. 14 m, the average salinity of the lake is 12.32 g/L, and the salt content is 1.24%.

Climate characteristics of Qinghai Lake: Qinghai Lake is a plateau continental climate with abundant sunshine and strong sunshine; Leng Xia is cool in winter, with short warm season and long cold season, and there are many strong winds and sandstorms in spring; Less rainfall, rain and heat in the same season, and clear dry and wet seasons.

1, lighting. The sunshine hours in the lake area are mostly more than 3000 hours, which is about 700 hours higher than that in the same latitude area east of Qinghai. The annual sunshine percentage is 68 ~ 69%. The annual total radiation is171.461~106.693 kcal/cm2/year, which is 10 ~ 40 kcal/cm2/year higher than that of North China Plain and Loess Plateau at the same latitude.

2. temperature. The temperature in the east and south of the lake area is slightly higher, with an annual average temperature of 1. 1 ~ 0.3℃. It is slightly lower in the west and north, with annual average temperature of -0.8 ~ 0.6℃, average maximum temperature of 6.7 ~ 8.7℃, average minimum temperature of -6.7 ~ 4.9℃, extreme maximum temperature of 25℃ and 24.4℃, and extreme minimum temperature of -3 1 ~-33.4℃.

3. Moisture. The annual precipitation in the lake area is less. But the eastern and southern regions are slightly higher than the northern and western regions. The annual precipitation in the eastern region is 4 12.8mm, the southern region is 359.4 mm, the northwest region is 370.3 mm, and the western region is 360.4 mm and 324.5 mm The annual evaporation 1502mm far exceeds the precipitation. The seasonal variation of precipitation in the lake area is great, mostly concentrated in May-September, with the same season of rain and heat.

4. Strong winds and sandstorms. The number of windy and sandstorm days in the lake area is one of the more areas in the province. From February to April every year, it is windy from afternoon to evening, and the northwest wind prevails. Take Gangcha as an example. The gale (≥ 17m/s) has an average of 47.3 days a year, with the maximum in February-April, with an average of 5.9-9.3 days, and the maximum in March 19 days. The average sandstorm over the years is 14 days. Buha estuary, a key protected area-Dorsey north wind in Bird Island area, with the maximum wind force of 9 ~ 10. Because of the high altitude in the lake area, there are many winds in the west of the lake, and the influence of high altitude is great, which is often controlled by the west wind all the year round. The wind speed is the largest in winter and spring, and smaller in summer and autumn. Under the action of wind, the waves are generally 2 ~ 3, and the maximum is 7 ~ 8. The number of days of waves above magnitude 6 is about 40 days a year.

5. Water temperature. The water temperature in Qinghai Lake changes with the seasons. In summer, the temperature of lake water has obvious positive temperature layer phenomenon, and the highest temperature in August is 22.3℃, with an average of 65438 06℃. The lower temperature of water is low, with an average water temperature of 9.5℃ and a minimum of 6℃. In autumn, due to the windy lake area, the lake was stirred and the phenomenon of water temperature stratification basically disappeared. In winter, the lake freezes and the temperature of the lake is upside down. In June+10/October, 5438, the upper temperature of the lake was -0.9℃ and the bottom temperature was 3.3℃. After thawing in spring, the water temperature of the lake began to rise again, gradually returning to the water temperature in summer and season.

6. Ice situation. The freezing temperature of Qinghai Lake is slightly lower than 0℃ because it contains a small amount of inorganic salts. From mid-October of every year 165438+ 10, the temperature in the lake area drops below 0℃, and the temperature is the lowest in June of the following year, forming a stable ice sheet in the whole lake. The annual average ice closure period is 108 ~ 1 16 days, with the shortest being 76 days and the longest being 65438+. The ice thickness is generally 40 cm, and the maximum ice thickness is 90 cm. After freezing, the ice surface is flat, and cracks and crevices often appear due to the fierce wind. Looking at the lakes and mountains in winter, everything there is white. In mid-March, the ice sheet broke and ice floes appeared on the lake. Under the action of the wind, huge icebergs drift to the shore, and the largest iceberg volume is about 10 cubic meter. After mid-April, the ice in the lake completely melted.

Resource characteristics:

1, bird resources. By August of 20 14, the number of birds in Qinghai had increased to 222, belonging to 35 families of 14, with a total number of more than16,000, including 2 geese1300, 45,000 brown-headed gulls, fishing gulls and cormorants. In addition, there are crested duck, red duck, merganser duck, magpie duck, white-eyed duck, spotted duck, needle-tailed duck, swan, demoiselle crane and black-necked crane. According to the field survey data of comprehensive monitoring of biodiversity in Qinghai Lake in July, 2065438, 44 species of waterfowl and more than 39,000 birds were recorded in 23 waterfowl habitats in Qinghai Lake, and the number of young summer migratory birds showed the trend of "Shuang Sheng"? . In July, 20021year, the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration observed the grey-headed pheasant for the first time in the monitoring of water birds in summer. .

2. Fish resources. The lake is rich in one of the five famous fish in China-naked carp (commonly known as Huangyu), hard-spined loach and long-headed loach in Qinghai Lake. The average annual yield of naked carp in Qinghai is 5 165 tons, 1949 ~ 1985 * * production19180 tons. With the passage of time, the resources declined, and the output of naked carp showed a downward trend year by year. Naked carp swim back to the source river from June to July every year to lay eggs, which provides rich food conditions for fish-eating birds. 1964, the state listed Qinghai Lake as a protected object, and Qinghai naked carp as an important and precious aquatic economic animal. ?

3. Islands in the lake.

(1) Haixinshan: Located in the south of the center of Qinghai Lake, about 25 kilometers away from Bird Island, the island is long, wide in the middle, narrow at both ends, 2.3 kilometers long and 0.8 kilometers wide, with an area of 1. 14 square kilometers. The highest point on the island is 3266 meters above sea level. It is composed of granite and gneiss, and there is a spring on the eastern edge of the island. The exposed rocks in the south edge form steep cliffs, and the east, west and north are gentle beaches. Most of the island is covered with sand, including agropyron cristatum, Achnatherum splendens, Oxytropis falcata, Kobresia, Pseudosciaena crocea, Polygonatum sibiricum and so on. Vegetation coverage is above 50%, and birds inhabit the edge of cliffs and gravel beaches.

(2) Hercynian skin: Hercynian skin, located 6 kilometers north of Buha River estuary, at the top of Buha River alluvial beach, there is a bird island. There is a fault cliff near the lake on the northeast side of the island, and a nearly cylindrical rock stands in the lake outside the cliff, which is the breeding ground of cormorants. The vegetation coverage rate on the island is over 90%.

(3) Sand Island: Located in the northeast of the lake and in Haiyan County, it was once the largest island in the lake, with a length of about 13km, a width of about 2.8km and an area of 18 km2. The highest point on the island is 3252 meters above sea level, which is formed by sand ridges protruding from the lake and accumulated by wind and sand. 1980, the northeast end of Shadao is connected with the land and becomes a peninsula, surrounded by Shadao Lake of 33 square kilometers. The surface is covered with gravel and has no vegetation, which is the habitat and breeding ground of fishing gulls.

(4) Sanshi: also known as Gucha Mountain, located in the southwest of the lake, consists of seven limestones and reefs, with a height of about 17 meters and an area of about 0.056 square kilometers, 20 kilometers away from Bird Island and Haixin Mountain. Artemisia oxtail only grows in the cracks of gravel blocks on the island. The vegetation coverage rate is less than 5%.

(5) Bird Island: also known as Xiaoxi Mountain or Bird Egg Island (named after birds and eggs everywhere). Located 4 kilometers north of Buha estuary, the eastern end of the island is large and the western end is narrow and long, shaped like a tadpole, with a total length of 1500 meters. After 1978, the north, west and south sides of the lake are exposed and connected with the land. Bird Island has a gentle slope, the surface is covered with sand and gravel, and there are several springs flowing in the southwest of the island. The main plants are Schizonepeta, Chenopodium album, Agropyron cristatum, Oxytropis falcata, Polygonum sibiricum, Kobresia, Poa pratensis and so on. Bird Island is a unique breeding ground for birds in Asia, the first of the eight bird protected areas in China, and an important place for Qinghai Province to open to the outside world.

Tourism culture of Qinghai Lake: Qinghai Lake is known as "the most beautiful lake in China" and "national tourism business card", and it is the brand image and "leading" scenic spot of Qinghai tourism. It is a treasure house of biodiversity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, an internationally important wetland, a national nature reserve, a national key scenic spot and a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and has the reputation of "Sapphire on the Plateau" and "Eight Most Beautiful Riding Paradise in China". 1992, Qinghai Lake was listed in the List of Internationally Important Wetlands and became a famous wetland reserve in Ramsar Wetland Protection Convention. 1997 was approved as a national nature reserve by the State Council, ranking first among the eight national bird nature reserves; From June 5438 to October 2005 10, it was rated as the first of the "Five Most Beautiful Lakes in China" by chinese national geography magazine. In 2006, it was listed in the National Natural Heritage List by the Ministry of Construction, and it is one of the "50 most worthwhile places for foreigners to visit in China"; At the Boao International Tourism Forum in 2007, Qinghai Lake Scenic Area was awarded the title of "National Tourism Business Card"; 20 1 1 won the title of 5A-level tourist scenic spot, won the "Champion" of the top ten most beautiful lakes in China with the reputation of "peerless holy land, god lake in the world", and was rated as one of the eight most beautiful cycling paradise in China, attracting visitors from all directions. Because of the high terrain and cool climate, even in hot summer, the average temperature is only about 15℃, making it an ideal summer resort. Qinghai Lake has a long history and culture and beautiful natural scenery. It is a bright pearl embedded in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Qinghai Lake has a vast surface, vast space and few people. The lake is blue and clear, and the sky is full of white clouds. With the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Tibetan culture as the background, it is an emotional attraction for tourists to travel romantically. Many tourists have left the feeling of "returning from Qinghai Lake without looking at the lake". There are many national and world-class scenic spots in Qinghai Lake, such as Bird Island with thousands of birds, Treasure Beach with different customs, the ruins of Triangle City with a long history, endless sea of rape blossoms, misty and mysterious Haixin Mountain, colorful Erlang Sword, Fairy Bay, Jinsha Bay, Sand Island Scenic Area and atomic city, which make Qinghai Lake a veritable paradise for tourists. Among the many lakes in China, Qinghai Lake is not the most handsome or the most beautiful, but it is definitely the most vast and magical. The vast and magical beauty is cast and endowed by the unique history of the formation of Qinghai Lake and its unique geographical location. In addition to its unique natural resource endowment, Qinghai Lake is located at the intersection of agricultural and pastoral areas, Central Plains culture and Tubo culture, and Loess Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Qinghai Road, a famous ancient Silk Road at home and abroad, runs through the northern shore of Qinghai Lake and continues the cultural exchanges between China and the West in China since the Han Dynasty. More importantly, the ancient Tang-Fan Road is the most famous in Qinghai. Today, the site of Xihai County, the site of Tugu Hundu and the site of ancient battlefield can still be seen by the side of Qinghai Lake ... All these show the glory and sacredness of Qinghai Lake and its heavy historical and cultural accumulation. In addition, in Kunlun mythology, Qinghai Lake is the Yaochi of the Queen Mother of the West, and many people regard it as a "sacred lake" and "divine water", adding infinite legend to the dreamy Qinghai Lake. Qinghai Lake with oriental temperament is intertwined with the beauty of grassland, and the vastness and quietness of the lake make Qinghai Lake wider and quieter. In the eyes of tourists, Qinghai Lake is a lake like the sea, a romantic lake that can sing love songs, a lake that can perceive historical vicissitudes, a lake with rich colors, an ecological and humanistic lake, and a lake that can fly its mind like a bird. Asia's highest-level international road cycling race around Qinghai Lake, Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival, Qinghai Lake International Sculpture and Earth Art Festival have greatly improved the visibility and reputation of Qinghai Lake. At present, self-driving cars, sand motorcycles, hiking and camping in Qinghai Lake Scenic Area are in the ascendant. Outdoor activities such as skiing, skating, rock climbing and mountaineering are very popular with tourists. It has formed a multi-functional scenic spot integrating sightseeing, eco-tourism, scientific research and exploration, cultural exploration, sports experience and leisure vacation. Finally, Qinghai Lake Scenic Area will be built into a "World Heritage Plateau Lake Eco-tourism Resort".