Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. A saline soda lake, it's fed by numerous mountain streams. Van lacks a water outlet, making it one of the few large endorheic lakes of the world. In east Turkey, it creates a natural ecosystem found nowhere else.
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Currently, a 20-year intensifying drought ravages the area, and the lake's waters are drying up at increasing speed. A severe drop in lake levels, stinking mud and slime on shores cause death of many birds, other wildlife and flora found only in the region.
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Fishing boats are stranded on coastlines. The death of up to 200,000 gulls in 2021, considered normal at the time due to stress and famine, may have been an omen of things to come.
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According to Prof. Alaeddinoğlu, because of water level drop in the lake, ports are unusable. Waste and pollution clings to the shores. Current fixes, he adds, are temporary solutions.
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Lake Van is in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. Including rivers it holds 38% of the country's surface water. Even at 1640 m (5380 ft) above sea level with winter temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F), the lake does not freeze, due to its saline content.
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Endorheic lakes get water from rivers flowing into the lake, and rain or snow precipitation. Water collected in the lake can be released only by evaporation or by percolation, water draining underground to become groundwater.
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Soda lakes are named for high levels of dissolved sodium and carbonate, similar to baking soda. The effect is a reaction between water and volcanic rocks or activity under the lake.
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Lake Van is actually the crater of an old volcano. Throughout the area volcanic action occurs due to Anatolian, Eurasian and Arabian tectonic plates colliding to create the volatile Karlıova Triple Junction. The collision is still happening.
Molten fluids continue to flow through the earth's mantle. In the nutritional soil grow plants like the mahaleb cherry and upside-down tulips. Regional wildlife includes brown bears, hares and red foxes. In the Neolithic, the area is a center for obsidian working and trade.
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Nearby mountains include volcanic Mount Ararat, where Noah supposedly left his ark after the great flood of Yahweh. Another theoretical landing place is the Karaca Dag in the Taurus Mountains. At the lake's northern shore is the stratovolcano Mount Süphan.
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The broad caldera of dormant Mount Nemrut, named for King Nimrod, is close to the western tip of the lake. Hydrothermal activity of the region includes hot springs and fumaroles. In Neolithic times the mountainous region is a prime source of copper.
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A younger volcano, nearby Mount Nemrut also has a crater lake at its top. There are two permanent lakes and a seasonal lake in the caldera. While the water is fresh, it's gradually becoming more saline, following the same geologic course as Van.
In prehistoric times Lake Van has a river outlet. It's blocked by volcanic eruptions from Nemrut c. 800 000 ya, forming the endorheic lake.
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Two species of fish, the pearl mullet and the tiny Oxynoemacheilus ercisianus, a stone loach, discovered in 2018, live in Lake Van. It's thought both types of fish have been living in the lake since its formation.
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O. ercisianus inhabits microbialite formations. Lake Van is home to the largest microbialites in the world, some ascending to 40m (130 ft). They're formed by remains of cyanobacteria combining with calcite precipitate of the lake water.
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Millennia of silt and minerals from incoming rivers and ash of eruptions measure over 400 m (c. 1300 ft) in places settled on the lake bed. It's of great interest to volcanologists. A test drilling in 2004 finds evidence of 15 volcanic eruptions in the past 20,000 years.
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The other fish species in the lake is the pearl mullet (Alburnus tarichi). Also endemic, the mullet lives in the lake and breeds in the tributary rivers. The pearl mullet is called the jewel of Lake Van.
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In May and June each year the fish travel upstream through the creeks and rivers to lay eggs. The mullet leaps through the air to ascend rocky rapids and waterfalls. People can catch the fish just by sticking a bag among them as they jump. The roe is a local delicacy.
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In the 1960s, 600 tons of the fish are harvested annually rising to c. 15,000 tons today. In 1994 the species is placed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 1994, but due to conservation efforts moves to Near Threatened in 2014, where it's still listed in 2024.
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Around the lake are fertile volcanic soils growing orchards and grain crops. The Van cat, an intelligent good-natured house pet, comes from this area. The cat is all white with one blue and one green eye, and enjoys swimming.
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Minerals in salt water include magnesium, zinc and potassium. They reduce inflammation, protect skin and heal wounds. Salt water enhances flow of lymph fluid, to reduce the look of cellulite. Swimming is now discouraged in Lake Van for cats and humans.
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Prof. Alaeddinoğlu further explains the situation:
"A deepening project is being carried out in the ports," he says. "Lake Van will continuously shrink due to the effects of drought and evaporation in the summer and this will continue in the next decades. With this loss of area, we will experience similar problems in all harbors around the lake, including small fishing ports."
Lake Van and its natural wonders have protected status from the government. It's no longer legal to catch pearl mullet during the breeding season. However, development around the lake happens despite the protected status, pumping pollution into the lake.
Submerged in the lake is an Armenian medieval castle, which was built when lake levels were lower. Apart from towering microbialite formations, other structures appear as the water once again recedes.
Other factors in the condition of the lake include global warming. Throughout history the levels are known to fluctuate dramatically as seen by the submerged Armenian castle. In this case major resuscitation efforts may be needed to bring the lake back from the brink.