Poyang Lake

Poyang Lake
Satellite image of Lake Poyang
Poyang Lake is located in China
Poyang Lake
Poyang Lake
LocationJiujiang, China
Coordinates29°05′N 116°17′E / 29.083°N 116.283°E / 29.083; 116.283[1]
Primary inflows5 rivers, primarily the Gan and Xiu
Catchment area162,225 square kilometers (62,635 sq mi)[2]
Basin countriesChina
Max. length170 kilometers (110 mi)
Max. width17 kilometers (11 mi)
Surface area3,210 square kilometers (1,240 sq mi)[1]
Average depth8.4 meters (28 ft)[1]
Max. depth25.1 meters (82 ft)[1]
Water volume25.2 cubic kilometers (6.0 cu mi)[1]
Residence time0.173 years[1]
Shore length11,200 kilometers (750 mi)[1]
Surface elevation16.5 meters (54 ft)[1]
Official namePoyanghu
Designated31 March 1992
Reference no.550[3]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Poyang Lake
Traditional Chinese鄱陽
Simplified Chinese鄱阳
Literal meaningLake North of Po
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinPóyáng Hú
Wade–GilesP'o-yang Hu
Gan
RomanizationPo-yong U

Poyang Lake, also known by its Chinese name as Poyang Hu, is the largest freshwater lake in China.[4] Located within Jiujiang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, it is fed by the Gan, Xin, and Xiu rivers and flows northward into the Yangtze River through a channel.

The area of Poyang Lake fluctuates dramatically between the wet and dry seasons, but in recent years the size of the lake has been decreasing overall. In a normal year the area of the lake averages 3,500 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi). In early 2012, drought, sand quarrying, and the practice of storing water at the Three Gorges Dam lowered the area of the lake to about 200 square kilometers (77 sq mi).[5] The lake provides a habitat for half a million migratory birds[6] and is a favorite destination for birding.

During the winter, the lake becomes home to many migrating Siberian cranes, up to 90% of which spend the winter there.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Poyang Lake". World Lake Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation. 1999. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  2. ^ Ding, Duowen; Tan, Xueqing (2011). "Numerical Simulation of the Effects of the Urbanization on the Poyang Wetland". In Kenneth W. Potter, Donald K. Frevert (ed.). Watershed Management 2010. American Society of Civil Engineers. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-7844-1143-8.
  3. ^ "Poyanghu". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. ^ http://english.people.com.cn/200202/21/eng20020221_90777.shtml People's Daily Online "Spring Fishing Ban on China's Largest Freshwater Lake"
  5. ^ Thibault, Harold (31 January 2012). "China's largest freshwater lake dries up". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  6. ^ Detailed Data Lake Poyang-hu. Global Nature Fund.