A 2017 chemical analysis reported 43.3 percent total dissolved solids in water from Gaet’ale Pond in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression. That figure sits far above the roughly 3.5 percent salt content commonly used for the open ocean. It also points to a powerful rule of dry landscapes: when water arrives in a closed basin and evaporation…
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Environment Canada tracks a striking concentration of enormous lakes across North America. Several stretch beyond the horizon like inland seas. Together, they store water, shape weather, support wildlife and connect communities across thousands of kilometers. The mystery of their scale becomes clearer when scientists compare surface area. This measurement describes how much land a lake…
At about 386,400 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea covers more surface than the other nine lakes in this selection combined. Asia’s largest inland waters extend from Arctic tundra to desert basins and their differences reach far beyond size. They include the planet’s deepest lake, a lake split between fresh and saline water and several basins…
The HydroSHEDS HydroLAKES database reveals the extraordinary scale of Earth’s inland waters. Its global inventory maps about 1.4 million lakes and reservoirs. It also provides a consistent scientific foundation for comparing their surface areas, shorelines, depths and estimated volumes. Even the word “largest” carries several meanings. A lake can dominate by area, depth, or total…
