An overview of the factors influencing the drying up of Lake Urmia and its related consequences (factors influencing the drying up of Lake Urmia)

Subject Areas : The Application of Chemistry in Environment

Ahmad  Asl hashemi ¹ (Department of Environmental Health Education, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences)

Received: 2022-09-19 Accepted : 2022-10-02 Published : 2021-01-20

Keywords: climate, Land, Urmia, lake,

Abstract :

Introduction: The gradual drying up of Urmia Lake has created the environment for environmental, social and economic crises in the northwestern region of the country. Human activities are one of the main threats to these ecosystems.Methodology: This article is a review article in which related documents were searched using Google Scholar and Jihad University and Normexa data. In this period of time, more than 20 documents were reviewed and extracted according to the relevant criteria.Findings: Surveys showed that human factors play the most important role. Among the human factors, we can mention the construction of structures such as dams in the watershed of the lake, as well as the construction of a highway on the lake, and among the climatic factors, we can mention the recent droughts that cause a decrease in rainfall and an increase in evaporation. And the influential factors have been the agriculture and tourism sectors.Conclusion: among the causes of the crisis, dam building, changing the pattern of rainfed to irrigated agriculture, drilling unauthorized wells, excessive water extraction from surface and underground sources, and climate factors such as recent droughts that cause a decrease in rainfall and an increase in evaporation. They are involved that these factors have caused the drying up of Urmia lake and this drying has affected the vegetation of the region, the economic and social conditions of the residents of the region, which should be considered in the formulation and implementation of long-term plans.