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35-469: It covers a total area of about 50,000 km (19,000 sq mi). The characteristic landscape is composed of treeless plains, saline steppes and salt lakes , and includes scattered sand dunes, low, wet forests and freshwater marshes along the floodplains of the ancient rivers. It is strongly associated with traditional Hungarian breeds of domestic animal including the Hungarian Grey breed of cattle,

70-571: A crucial role as a keystone species by regulating phytoplankton and bacterioplankton levels. The Artemia species also serves as an intermediate host for helminth parasites that affect migratory water birds like flamingos, grebes, gulls, shorebirds, and ducks. Vertebrates in saline lakes include certain fish and bird species, though they are sensitive to fluctuations in salinity. Many saline lakes are also alkaline, which imposes physiological challenges for fish, especially in managing nitrogenous waste excretion. Fish species vary by lake; for instance,

105-580: A higher concentration of salt than sea water ; such lakes can also be termed hypersaline lake , and may also be pink lakes on account of their color. An alkalic salt lake that has a high content of carbonate is sometimes termed a soda lake . Salt lakes are classified according to salinity levels. The formation of these lakes is influenced by processes such as evaporation and deposition. Salt lakes face serious conservation challenges due to climate change, pollution and water diversion. The primary method of classification for salt lakes involves assessing

140-509: A saline lake, and the Onyx River , a meltwater stream and Antarctica's longest river . Although no living organisms have been found in the permafrost here, endolithic photosynthetic bacteria have been found living in the relatively moist interior of rocks, and anaerobic bacteria , with a metabolism based on iron and sulfur, live under the Taylor Glacier . The valleys are located within

175-704: Is a hyposaline lake. Mesosaline lakes have a salinity level ranging from 3 to 35 g/L. An example of a mesosaline lake is Redberry Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada . Hypersaline lakes possess salinities greater than 35 g/L, often reaching levels that can exceed 200 g/L. The extreme salinity levels create harsh conditions that limit the diversity of life, primarily supporting specialized organisms such as halophilic bacteria and certain species of brine shrimp . These lakes can have high concentrations of sodium salts and minerals, such as lithium, making such lakes vulnerable to mining interests. Hypersaline lakes can be found in

210-496: Is not limited to the Aral Sea; salt lakes around the world are shrinking due to excessive water diversion, dam construction, pollution, urbanization, and rising temperatures associated with climate change. The resulting declines cause severe disruptions to local ecosystems and biodiversity, degrades the environment, threatens economic stability, and displaces communities dependent on these lakes for resources and livelihood. In Utah, if

245-592: The Mangalitsa breed of woolly pig, the Nonius breed of horse and the Racka breed of horned sheep, and also with the traditions of the csikós mounted herdsmen. The adjective puszta has meanings including 'abandoned', 'bare', 'bleak', 'deserted' and 'uninhabited'. A large, mostly treeless, grassy plain which can only be used for grazing livestock, as the poor quality of the soil makes it unsuitable for crop production. From

280-705: The McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, where salinity can reach ≈440‰. Salt lakes form through complex chemical, geological, and biological processes, influenced by environmental conditions like high evaporation rates and restricted water outflow. As water carrying dissolved minerals ( sodium , potassium , and magnesium ) enters these basins, it gradually evaporates, concentrating these minerals until they precipitate as salt deposits. Then, specific ions interact under controlled temperatures, which leads to solid-solution formation and salt crystal deposition within

315-598: The Pleistocene layer within the Taylor Valley was between 137 and 275 m thick, and composed of interbedded sandstones , pebble conglomerates , and laminated silty mudstones . This Pleistocene layer disconformably overlies Pliocene and Miocene diamictites . Endolithic bacteria have been found living in the Dry Valleys, sheltered from the dry air in the relatively moist interior of rocks. Summer meltwater from

350-639: The Transantarctic Mountains . These "dry valleys" include hummocky moraines , with frozen lakes, saline ponds, sand dunes, and meltwater streams. Basement rocks include the Late Precambrian or Early Palaeozoic Skelton Group metamorphic rocks , primarily the Asgard Formation , which is a medium-high-grade marble and calc schist . The Palaeozoic Granite Harbour intrusives include granitoid plutons and dykes , which intruded into

385-532: The AUT team created three dimensional maps with sub-centimeter resolution, which are now used as baselines. Part of the Valleys was designated an environmentally protected area in 2004. From north to south, the three main valleys are West of Victoria Valley are, from north to south, Stretching south from Balham Valley are, from west to east: West of Taylor Valley is Further south, between Royal Society Range in

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420-467: The Great Salt Lake is not conserved, the state could face potential economic and public health crises, with consequences for air quality, local agriculture, and wildlife. According to “Utah’s Great Salt Lake Strike Team”, in order increase the lake's level within the next 30 years, see average inflows must increase by 472,00 acre-feet per year, which is about a 33% increase in the amount that has reached

455-609: The McMurdo Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA-2). The Dry Valleys are so named because of their extremely low humidity and lack of snow or ice cover. They are also dry because, in this location, the mountains are sufficiently high that they block seaward-flowing ice from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet from reaching the Ross Sea . At 4,800 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi),

490-483: The Salton Sea is home to species such as carp, striped mullet, humpback sucker, and rainbow trout. Stratification in salt lakes occurs as a result of the unique chemical and environmental processes that cause water to separate into layers based on density . In these lakes, high rates of evaporation often concentrate salts, leading to denser, saltier water sinking to the lake's bottom, while fresher water remains nearer

525-506: The chemical composition of the water within the lakes, specifically its salinity, pH , and the dominant ions present. Subsaline lakes have a salinity lower than that of seawater but higher than freshwater , typically ranging from 0.5 to 3 grams per liter (g/L). Hyposaline lakes exhibit salinities from 0.5 to 3 g/L, which allows for the presence of freshwater species along with some salt-tolerant aquatic organisms. Lake Alchichica in Mexico

560-408: The flow of ice from nearby glaciers . The rocks here are granites and gneisses , and glacial tills dot this bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground. It is one of the driest places on Earth, though there are several anecdotal accounts of rainfall within the Dry Valleys. The region is one of the world's most extreme deserts , and includes many features including Lake Vida ,

595-436: The glaciers provides the primary source of soil nutrients . Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps the closest of any terrestrial environment to the planet Mars , and thus an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life . Anaerobic bacteria whose metabolism is based on iron and sulfur live in sub-freezing temperatures under the Taylor Glacier . It was previously thought that algae were staining

630-479: The lack of vertical mixing. Extremophiles , including specific bacteria and archaea , inhabit the hypersaline and oxygen-deficient zones at lower depths. Bacteria and archaea, for example, rely on alternative metabolic processes that do not depend on oxygen. These microorganisms play a critical role in nutrient cycling within salt lakes, as they break down organic material and release by-products that support other microbial communities. Due to limited biodiversity,

665-400: The lake bed. This cycle of evaporation and deposition is the main process to the unique saline environment that characterizes a salt lake. Environmental factors further shape the composition and formation of salt lakes. Seasonal variations in temperature and evaporation drive mineral saturation and promote salt crystallization . In dry regions, water loss during warmer seasons concentrates

700-428: The lake in recent years. Water conservation is viewed as being the most cost-effective and practical strategy to save salt lakes like the Great Salt Lake. Implementing strong water management policies, improving community awareness, and ensuring the return of water flow to these lakes are additional ways that may restore ecological balance. Other proposed methods of maintaining lake levels include cloud seeding and

735-475: The lake's chemistry, supporting only specialized microbial life adapted to extreme environments with high salinity and low oxygen levels. The restricted vertical mixing limits nutrient cycling , creating a favorable ecosystem for halophiles (salt-loving organisms) that rely on these saline conditions for stability and balance. The extreme conditions within stratified salt lakes have a profound effect on aquatic life , as oxygen levels are severely limited due to

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770-548: The lake's salts. This creates a dynamic environment where seasonal shifts affect the salt lake's mineral layers, contributing to its evolving structure and composition. Groundwater rich in dissolved ions often serve as primary mineral sources that, combined with processes like evaporation and deposition, contribute to salt lake development. Salt lakes host a diverse range of animals, despite high levels of salinity acting as significant environmental constraints. Increased salinity worsens oxygen levels and thermal conditions, raising

805-468: The lakes at the base of the valleys, which do not have outflow to the sea, causing them to become highly saline. The McMurdo Oasis constitutes approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) of "deglaciated mountainous desert", according to McKelvey, bounded by the coastline of south Victoria Land and the Polar Plateau . The Taylor and Wright Valleys are major ice-free valleys within

840-604: The late Pleistocene era the landscape of the Alföld or Great Hungarian Plain consisted in large part of arid alkaline grasslands devoid of trees – the puszta. The extent of the puszta over much of the Alföld was drastically reduced by the extensive drainage and irrigation works carried out during the nineteenth century, and it survives principally in the Hortobágy National Park , established in 1972 in eastern Hungary and centred on

875-714: The metasedimentary Skelton Group in the Late Cambrian – Early Ordovician during the Ross orogeny . The basement complex is overlain by the Jurassic Beacon Supergroup , which is itself intruded by Ferrar Dolerite sheets and sills . The McMurdo Volcanic Group intrudes, or is interbedded with, the Taylor and Wright Valleys' moraines as basaltic cinder cones and lava flows . These basalts have ages between 2.1 and 4.4 Ma . The Dry Valley Drilling Project (1971–75) determined

910-589: The mitigation of dust transmission hotspots. Note: Some of the following are also partly fresh and/or brackish water. McMurdo Dry Valleys 77°28′S 162°31′E  /  77.467°S 162.517°E  / -77.467; 162.517 The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica , located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound . The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains prevent

945-597: The permafrost, the first location on the planet visited by humans with no active microbial life. In 2014, drones were used in the McMurdo Dry Valleys by a team of scientists from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to create baseline maps of the vegetation. In 2015, the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute granted funding to AUT to develop methods for operating unmanned aerial vehicles . Over successive summer seasons in Antarctica,

980-494: The red ice emerging at Blood Falls but it is now known that the staining is caused by high levels of iron oxide . Irish and American researchers conducted a field expedition in 2013 to University Valley in order to examine the microbial population and to test a drill designed for sampling on Mars in the permafrost of the driest parts of the valleys, the areas most analogous to the Martian surface. They found no living organisms in

1015-412: The region also produces poultry and foie gras . Three hundred species of birds are found here. Salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride ) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). In some cases, salt lakes have

1050-417: The restrictive environment limits biodiversity , allowing only specially adapted life forms to survive, which creates unique, highly specialized ecosystems that are distinct from freshwater or less saline habitats. Salt lakes declined worldwide in recent years. The Aral Sea , once of the largest saline lakes with a surface area of 67,499 km in 1960, diminished to approximately 6,990 km in 2016. This trend

1085-505: The snow rapidly and little melts into the soil. During the summer, this process can take only hours. Another important factor is a lack of precipitation. Precipitation averages around 100 millimetres (4 in) per year over a century of records, almost exclusively in the form of snow. This contributes to the low humidity of the area. For several weeks in the summer, the temperature increases enough to allow for glacial melt, which causes small freshwater streams to form. These streams feed

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1120-462: The surface. These seasonal changes influence the lake's structure, making stratification more pronounced during warmer months due to increasing evaporation, which drives separation between saline and fresher layers in the lake, leading a phenomenon known as meromixis (meromictic state), primarily prevents oxygen from penetrating the deeper layers and create the hypoxic (low oxygen) or anoxic (no oxygen) zones. This separation eventually influenced

1155-534: The valleys constitute around 0.03% of the continent and form the largest ice-free region in Antarctica. The valley floors are covered with loose gravel, in which ice wedge polygonal patterned ground may be observed. The unique conditions in the Dry Valleys are caused, in part, by katabatic winds ; these occur when cold, dense air is pulled downhill by the force of gravity. The winds can reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph), heating as they descend and evaporating all water, ice and snow. The dry wind evaporates

1190-574: The village of Hortobágy in Hajdú-Bihar County . The climate is continental. Landscape is widely cultivated, the original Puszta landscape now being found only in a few places, for example in Hortobágy National Park . Most of Hungary's vegetable and grain crops are grown on the Great Plain. The region has a sandy soil and is sunny; the city of Szeged is often called City of Sunshine ( Napfény városa ). In addition to cattle, sheep, and pigs,

1225-433: The water's density and viscosity , which demands greater energy for animal movement. Despite these challenges, salt lakes support biota adapted to such conditions with specialized physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Common salt lake invertebrates include various parasites, with around 85 parasite species found in saline waters, including crustaceans and monogeneans . Among them, the filter-feeding brine shrimp plays

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