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List of lakes by volume

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This article lists lakes with a water volume of more than 100 km³, ranked by volume. The volume of a lake is a difficult quantity to measure. Generally, the volume must be inferred from bathymetric data by integration. Lake volumes can also change dramatically over time and during the year, especially for salt lakes in arid climates. For these reasons, and because of changing research, information on lake volumes can vary considerably from source to source. The base data for this article are from The Water Encyclopedia (1990).[1] Where volume data from more recent surveys or other authoritative sources has been used, it is referenced in each entry.

The list

The volume of the lakes below varies little by season. This list does not include reservoirs; if it did, six reservoirs would appear on the list: Lake Kariba at 26th, Bratsk Reservoir, Lake Volta, Lake Nasser, Manicouagan Reservoir, and Lake Guri.

Continent color key
Africa Asia Europe North America Oceania South America Antarctica
Oceanic lakes

Two bodies of water at times considered to be lakes are hydrologically ocean (Maracaibo) or geologically ocean (the Caspian Sea).

Name Country Region Surface area Water volume Salinity
Caspian Sea[2]  Azerbaijan,  Russia,  Kazakhstan,  Turkmenistan,  Iran 371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi) 78,200 km3 (18,800 cu mi) 1.2%
Maracaibo[3]  Venezuela Trujillo, Zulia 13,210 km2 (5,100 sq mi) 280 km3 (67 cu mi) 3.5% (variable)
Continental lakes

The following are geological as well as geographical lakes.

Name Country Region Surface area Water volume Salinity
Baikal[4]  Russia Siberia 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi) 23,600 km3 (5,700 cu mi) Fresh
Tanganyika  Tanzania,  DR Congo,  Burundi,  Zambia African Great Lakes 32,900 km2 (12,700 sq mi) 18,900 km3 (4,500 cu mi) Fresh
Superior

 Canada,  United States

Ontario, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin 82,100 km2 (31,700 sq mi) 11,600 km3 (2,800 cu mi) Fresh
Michigan–Huron[n 1]  Canada,

 United States

Ontario, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana 117,400 km2 (45,300 sq mi) 8,443 km3 (2,026 cu mi) Fresh
Malawi  Malawi,  Mozambique,  Tanzania African Great Lakes 29,600 km2 (11,400 sq mi) 7,725 km3 (1,853 cu mi) Fresh
Vostok  Antarctica Under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet 15,690 km2 (6,060 sq mi) 5,400±1,600 km³ (~1,300 cu mi) Fresh
Michigan[n 1]  United States Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana. 58,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi) 4,920 km3 (1,180 cu mi) Fresh
Huron[n 1]  Canada,

 United States

Ontario, Michigan 59,600 km2 (23,000 sq mi) 3,540 km3 (850 cu mi) Fresh
Victoria  Tanzania,  Uganda,  Kenya African Great Lakes 68,800 km2 (26,600 sq mi) 2,700 km3 (650 cu mi) Fresh
Great Bear Lake[10]  Canada Northwest Territories 31,153 km2 (12,028 sq mi) 2,236 km3 (536 cu mi) Fresh
Issyk-Kul  Kyrgyzstan Issyk-Kul Region 6,236 km2 (2,408 sq mi) 1,730 km3 (420 cu mi) 0.6%
Ontario  Canada,  United States Ontario, New York 18,960 km2 (7,320 sq mi) 1,710 km3 (410 cu mi) Fresh
Great Slave Lake[11]  Canada Northwest Territories 27,200 km2 (10,500 sq mi) 1,580 km3 (380 cu mi) Fresh
Ladoga  Russia Leningrad Oblast, Republic of Karelia 17,700 km2 (6,800 sq mi) 908 km3 (218 cu mi) Fresh
Titicaca  Bolivia,  Peru La Paz Department, Puno Region 8,372 km2 (3,232 sq mi) 893 km3 (214 cu mi) Fresh
Van[12]  Turkey Southeast Anatolia 3,755 km2 (1,450 sq mi) 607 km3 (146 cu mi) 2.3%
Kivu  Rwanda,  DR Congo African Great Lakes 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi) 569 km3 (137 cu mi) Fresh
Erie  Canada,

 United States

Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York 25,667 km2 (9,910 sq mi) 480 km3 (120 cu mi) Fresh
Khövsgöl  Mongolia Khövsgöl Province 2,760 km2 (1,070 sq mi) 480 km3 (120 cu mi) Fresh
Onega  Russia Leningrad Oblast, Republic of Karelia, Vologda Oblast 9,700 km2 (3,700 sq mi) 295 km3 (71 cu mi) Fresh
Winnipeg  Canada Manitoba 24,514 km2 (9,465 sq mi) 284 km3 (68 cu mi) Fresh
Nipigon[13]  Canada Ontario 4,848 km2 (1,872 sq mi) 248 km3 (59 cu mi) Fresh
Toba[14]  Indonesia Sumatra 1,130 km2 (440 sq mi) 240 km3 (58 cu mi) Fresh
Argentino  Argentina Santa Cruz Province 1,466 km2 (566 sq mi) 219.9 km3 (52.8 cu mi) Fresh
Turkana  Kenya African Great Lakes 6,405 km2 (2,473 sq mi) 204 km3 (49 cu mi) 0.24%
Vänern  Sweden Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland 5,650 km2 (2,180 sq mi) 153 km3 (37 cu mi) Fresh
Tahoe  United States California, Nevada 496 km2 (192 sq mi) 151 km3 (36 cu mi) Fresh
Dead Sea  Jordan,  Israel,  West Bank Judea and Samaria Area, Southern District, West Bank, Balqa Governorate, Madaba Governorate, Karak Governorate 810 km2 (310 sq mi) 147 km3 (35 cu mi) 34%
Albert  Uganda,  DR Congo African Great Lakes 5,300 km2 (2,000 sq mi) 132 km3 (32 cu mi) Fresh
Iliamna  United States Alaska 2,622 km2 (1,012 sq mi) 115 km3 (28 cu mi) Fresh
Nettilling  Canada Nunavut (Baffin Island) 5,066 km2 (1,956 sq mi) 114 km3 (27 cu mi) Fresh
Balkhash  Kazakhstan Karaganda Region, Jambyl Region, Almaty Region 16,400 km2 (6,300 sq mi) 112 km3 (27 cu mi) 0.3% (variable)
Athabasca  Canada Alberta, Saskatchewan 7,850 km2 (3,030 sq mi) 110 km3 (26 cu mi) Fresh
Nicaragua  Nicaragua Rivas Department, Granada Department, Río San Juan Department 8,264 km2 (3,191 sq mi) 108 km3 (26 cu mi) Fresh

In 1960, the Aral Sea was the world's twelfth-largest known lake by volume, at 1,100 km3 (260 cu mi). However, by 2007 it had shrunk to 10% of its original volume and was divided into three lakes; none of them is large enough to appear on this list.[15]

By continent

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ^ a b c Although Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are usually considered distinct, they are sometimes regarded as a single lake. Lake Michigan–Huron is the fourth-largest freshwater lake by volume.[5][6][7][8][9]
References
  1. ^ van der Leeden; Troise; Todd (1990), The Water Encyclopedia (2nd ed.), Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, p. 198–200
  2. ^ The Caspian Sea is generally regarded by geographers, biologists and limnologists as a huge inland salt lake. It is endorheic (having no outlet), and can be compared to other large (but still much smaller) endorheic salt lakes, such as the Aral Sea, Great Salt Lake and Lake Van. However, the Caspian's large size means that for some purposes it is better modeled as a sea. Geologically, the Caspian, Black, and Mediterranean seas are remnants of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Politically, the distinction between a sea and a lake may affect how the Caspian is treated by international law.
  3. ^ Lake Maracaibo is generally regarded as a lake, but is seen by geologists as an inlet of the Caribbean Sea. It lies approximately at sea level, is somewhat salty and is connected to the Caribbean via a channel at its northern end.
  4. ^ Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake by volume.
  5. ^ "Largest Lake in the World - Largest in the United States". geology.com.
  6. ^ "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac." Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models Archived 2010-08-08 at the Wayback Machine." NOAA, 2006.
  7. ^ "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac." U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Hydrological Components" Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. August 2007. p.6
  8. ^ "Great Lakes Map". Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Largest Lake in the World". geology.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  10. ^ Hebert, Paul (2007), "Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories", Encyclopedia of Earth, Washington, DC: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment, retrieved 2007-12-07
  11. ^ "Search - The Encyclopedia of Earth". www.eoearth.org.
  12. ^ Degens, E.T.; Wong, H.K.; Kempe, S.; Kurtman, F. (June 1984), "A geological study of Lake Van, eastern Turkey", International Journal of Earth Sciences, 73 (2), Springer: 701–734, doi:10.1007/BF01824978
  13. ^ "Lake Nipigon". World Lake Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Although some parts of Indonesia are often regarded as belonging to Oceania, Sumatra and Lake Toba are generally placed in Asia.
  15. ^ Philip Micklin; Nikolay V. Aladin (March 2008). "Reclaiming the Aral Sea". Scientific American. Retrieved 2008-05-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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