Location Tibetan Plateau Max. length 32 km (20 mi) Surface area 880 km (340 sq mi) Area 880 km² Width 13 km | Type ultraoligotrophic Max. width 14 km (8.7 mi) Surface elevation 5,030 m Length 32 km | |
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Lake Puma Yumco (Chinese: 普莫雍錯) is a lake located at 5,030 metres (16,503 ft) above mean sea level on the southern Tibetan Plateau. It is 32 km (20 mi) long, 14 km (8.7 mi) wide, and covers an area of 880 km2 (340 sq mi). Streams of water from the snow-capped surrounding mountains feed the lake, but the lake has no outlet. Some sediment can be seen entering the lake at its western end.
Map of Puma Yumco, Nagarze, Shannan, China
Puma Yumco literally means The Blue Jewel which is floating in the sky. The lake freezes in winter and is crossed by shepherds with their sheep. Since the climate is warming, the ice is becoming thinner and thus creates a problem for the 120 people living off and around the lake.
The lake is considered ultraoligotrophic, meaning that nutrient concentrations in both the water column and lake sediments are extremely low. Water in such lakes tends to be blue to blue-green and to have high clarity due to low levels of photosynthesizing organisms such as phytoplankton.
During the winter, the lake develops intricate ice block patterns on the surface, ranging from less than ten to hundreds of metres in diameter. The ice pattern is caused by repeated cycles of freezing, fracturing, and refreezing of the ice due to variations in temperature and wind-induced ice motion.