Lake Poopó

The top photo shows the lake with low water levels, exposing large tracts of salt and mud flats. Rainfall afterwards resulted in flooding of Poopó with muddy waters from the Desaguadero River. The lower photo shows the extent of flooding of the western salt flats (indicated by a rectangle)—sufficient to create an ephemeral island.

Lake Poopó from space, September 1991

Poopó is a saline lake extending circa 130 kilometers southwards of Oruro, Bolivia. It has an average variable area of about 1,340 km², and is fed by the Desaguadero River which is the sole outflow from Lake Titicaca (visible as brown sediment-laden water at the north end of the lake). The lake's waters are highly turbid and there are extensive areas of exposed mud. Lake Poopó is drained at its south end by a small river that follows a westward course and drains into the Salar de Coipasa. The lake has been designated a RAMSAR site.

Because Lake Poopó is very high in elevation (roughly 3,400 meters, or 11,000 feet above mean sea level), very shallow (generally less than 3 meters, or 10 feet), and the regional climate is very dry, small changes in precipitation in the surrounding basin have large impacts on the water levels and area of Lake Poopó. When full, it covers 2,500 km² (965 square miles), making it one of South America's largest salt-water lakes, and it a prime stop for migratory birds, including flamingos.

During the melting of the last Andean ice age some 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, Poopó was part of a much larger glacial lake called Ballivián. This massive lake also included Salar de Coipasa, Salar de Uyuni, and Lake Titicaca. In recent years, water levels in Lake Poopó have been receding as evidenced by the bright white shoreline surrounding most of the lake. Water levels have also been receding at Lake Titicaca, thereby decreasing the flow of water into the Desaguadero River. Much lake water is also lost through evaporation caused by intense sunshine and strong winds. The marshy, dark area of former Lake Ura is visible north of the lake.

References

• "Lake Poopó Water Levels". Earth Observatory Newsroom. NASA. Retrieved 2006-04-26.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.