Nature
2022.08.07 13:03 GMT+8

China's largest freshwater lake enters dry season at earliest recorded date

Updated 2022.08.07 13:03 GMT+8
CGTN

China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang, entered dry season on Saturday, the earliest date since records started in 1951, according to the local hydrological monitoring center.

Poyang Lake's bed exposed near Yinshan Mountain in Duchang County, east China's Jiangxi Province. /VCG

Water! Water! /VCG

The water level at the lake's landmark Xingzi hydrological station receded to 11.99 meters at 2 a.m. on Saturday, meaning the lake has entered the dry season, according to the hydrological monitoring center in east China's Jiangxi Province, where the lake is located.

The date is 16 days earlier than the previous record, registered on August 22, 2006, according to the center.

The center noted that the lake saw a rapid decrease in water levels due to continuous high temperature, and relatively less water flowed from the Yangtze River.

Starting June 23, the water level at the Xingzi hydrological station dropped 7.44 meters over 44 days, with a daily average drop of 0.17 meters, statistics from the center showed.

Poyang Lake. /VCG

The exposed bed of Poyang Lake. /VCG

Another view of Poyang Lake. /VCG

An earlier arrival of the dry season, Poyang Lake. /VCG

Meteorological forecasts show Jiangxi Province will continue to have high temperature and little rain in the coming 10 days. With water from the Yangtze River basin remaining a little less than normal range, water level in Poyang Lake is expected to continue the downward trend.

(All images via VCG)

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
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