Chaka Salt Lake (Chinese: 茶卡盐湖; pinyin: Chákǎ Yánhú; Standard Tibetan: ཚྭ་ཁ་མཚོ་) is a salt lake in Ulan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, China.[1][2] The oval-shaped lake is located near the eastern end of Qaidam Basin, 298 kilometres (185 mi) to the west of the provincial capital Xining.[3] The name "Chaka" (ཚྭ་ཁ) means "salt lake" in Tibetan.[4]

Chaka Salt Lake
Chaka Salt Lake is located in Qinghai
Chaka Salt Lake
Chaka Salt Lake
LocationUlan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China
Coordinates36°41′51″N 99°06′20″E / 36.6976°N 99.1055°E / 36.6976; 99.1055
TypeSalt lake
Basin countriesChina
Max. length15.8 km (9.8 mi)
Max. width9.2 km (5.7 mi)
Surface area105 km2 (41 sq mi)
Surface elevation3,100 m (10,170 ft)
SettlementsChaka, Ulan County

Chaka Lake is a major tourist destination and a key salt mine in Qinghai. In 2018, it received more than 3 million visitors.[3][5] The lake is famous for its crystal-blue water and reflective lake bed, and is popularly known as "Mirror of the Sky".[4]

Climate

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Climate data for Chaka, Ulan County, elevation 3,088 m (10,131 ft), (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −2.2
(28.0)
1.7
(35.1)
6.8
(44.2)
12.7
(54.9)
16.6
(61.9)
19.2
(66.6)
21.5
(70.7)
21.3
(70.3)
17.2
(63.0)
10.9
(51.6)
4.1
(39.4)
−1.0
(30.2)
10.7
(51.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −10.9
(12.4)
−7.1
(19.2)
−1.8
(28.8)
4.5
(40.1)
9.2
(48.6)
12.5
(54.5)
14.9
(58.8)
14.3
(57.7)
9.9
(49.8)
2.6
(36.7)
−5.0
(23.0)
−9.8
(14.4)
2.8
(37.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −18.2
(−0.8)
−14.7
(5.5)
−9.2
(15.4)
−3.3
(26.1)
2.1
(35.8)
6.4
(43.5)
9.0
(48.2)
8.4
(47.1)
4.1
(39.4)
−4.1
(24.6)
−12.1
(10.2)
−16.9
(1.6)
−4.0
(24.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.2
(0.05)
1.8
(0.07)
3.3
(0.13)
7.5
(0.30)
26.3
(1.04)
51.3
(2.02)
58.8
(2.31)
48.2
(1.90)
27.2
(1.07)
4.9
(0.19)
1.4
(0.06)
0.5
(0.02)
232.4
(9.16)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 1.9 2.0 2.7 3.6 8.4 12.2 13.6 11.0 7.8 2.6 0.9 0.7 67.4
Average snowy days 2.8 2.9 4.3 4.0 2.4 0.2 0 0 0 1.8 1.7 1.2 21.3
Average relative humidity (%) 36 33 31 33 44 55 59 58 56 43 35 35 43
Mean monthly sunshine hours 231.2 221.4 255.2 269.9 267.5 233.5 248.5 253.2 235.7 261.3 245.1 233.5 2,956
Percent possible sunshine 75 72 68 68 61 53 56 61 64 76 81 78 68
Source: China Meteorological Administration[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Liu, Xingqi; Dong, Hailiang; Rech, Jason; Matsumoto, Ryo; Bo, Yang; Wang, Yongbo (2008-04-01). "Evolution of Chaka Salt Lake in NW China in response to climatic change during the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene". Quaternary Science Reviews. 27 (7–8): 867–879. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.12.006. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  2. ^ "Chaka Salt Lake: Mirror of the sky in China". english.www.gov.cn. China: Government of China. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  3. ^ a b "New tourist park to open at China's Chaka Salt Lake". China Daily. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Chaka Salt Lake: Mirror of the sky in China". China Daily. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Visitors exceed 3 million at Chaka Salt Lake". China Tibet Online. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  6. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 September 2023.