Global warming hits Lake Tuz as drought worsens

A view of Lake Tuz's shoreline as its water slowly recedes due to drought in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 9, 2021.

Lake Tuz is a saline lake occupying a huge area in the central Anatolia region, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Konya, also neighboring the Aksaray and Ankara provinces.

It is the second-largest lake in Turkey with its 1,665-square-kilometer (643-square-mile) surface area and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. It was declared a protected area by UNESCO.

Lake Tuz, meaning "salt" in Turkish, has hosted huge colonies of flamingos, migrating and breeding for centuries during the warm months.

They would feed on algae in the lake’s shallow waters.

But this summer the scenery has changed to a grim one.

Flamingo hatchlings were found dead along with adult birds laying scattered across the cracked, dried-up lake bed.

Like many other bodies of water all around the world, Lake Tuz is another victim of climate change-induced drought, hitting the region hard.

Satellite imagery shows that the water levels of Lake Tuz started to recede in 2000, according to a study conducted by Turkey's Ege University.

The lake completely receded this year due to rising temperatures, intensified evaporation and insufficient rain, according to the study.

But not only surface water is affected by this.

The study also showed a sharp decline in underground water levels around Lake Tuz, affecting the provinces of Ankara, Konya and Aksaray provinces.

Lake Tuz's ecosystem is home to 279 different plants, 39 of which can only thrive in an aquatic environment.

An aerial view of what is left of Lake Tuz, Dec. 9, 2021.

Some wet areas of Lake Tuz, Dec. 9, 2021.

People enjoy the late afternoon sun on the shore of Lake Tuz, Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 9, 2021.

Plants sway in the wind with Lake Tuz in the background, Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 9, 2021.

Puddles of water at Lake Tuz, Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 9, 2021.