| Song-Köl | |
|---|---|
 Northern shore of Song-Köl | |
  Song-Köl  Song-Köl | |
| Coordinates | 41°50′N75°10′E / 41.833°N 75.167°E /41.833; 75.167 |
| Type | Endorheic Mountainlake |
| Primary inflows | Glaciers |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation and the riverKajyrty |
| Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
| Max. length | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Surface area | 270 km2 (100 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 13.2 m (43 ft) |
| Water volume | 2.64 km3 (2,140,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3,016 m (9,895 ft) |
 | |
| Official name | Son-Kol Lake |
| Designated | 23 January 2011 |
| Reference no. | 1943[1] |
Song-Köl (Kyrgyz:Соң-Көл,[2]IPA:[ˈsoŋkøl], literally "following lake") is an alpine lake in northernNaryn Region,Kyrgyzstan. It lies at an altitude of 3016 m,[3] and has an area of about 270 km2 and volume of 2.64 km3. The lake's maximum length is 29 km, breadth about 18 km at its widest, and the deepest point is 13.2 m. It is the second largest lake in Kyrgyzstan afterIssyk-Kul, and the largest fresh water lake in the country.
High altitude Song-Köl belongs to theNaryn river basin. The lake sits in the central part of Song-Köl Valley surrounded bySongköl Too ridge from the north, and Borbor Alabas andMoldo Too mountains from the south. Hydrologically, the Song-Köl basin is characterized by poorly developed surface stream flows, and substantial subsurface flow. Four perennial rivers - Kumbel, Aktash, Tashdöbö, and Karakeche - disgorge themselves into the lake. In the south-east, the structural high is cut through by the riverKajyrty (in its upper course also calledSong-Köl) that flows into the Naryn.[4][5]
The mean temperature in the lake basin is −3.5 °C (25.7 °F) with mean temperature of −20 °C (−4 °F) in January, and 11 °C (52 °F) in July. Annual precipitation averages 300–400 mm from April to October, and 100–150 mm from November to March. Snow cover in the lake basin persists for 180 to 200 days a year. In winter the lake surface freezes, the ice becoming as much as 1-1.2 m thick. The ice on Song-Köl begins to thaw in the middle or at the end of April, and completely disappears by late May.[6][7]
In 2011, Song-Köl was designated by Kyrgyzstan as its third Wetland of International Importance for theRamsar List.[8] Since 1998, a section of the lake and its shore (3,400 ha land, 5,200 ha water) is protected as part of theKaratal-Japyryk Nature Reserve.[9]
The lake supports large numbers ofwaterfowl onpassage migration. There arebreeding colonies ofdemoiselle cranes,bar-headed geese andblack-headed gulls. It has been recognised as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International.[10]
There are several signs of nomadic life from the earlier times in the Son Kul valley. Ancient petroglyphs can be found east from the lake and there are round stone settings that have similarities with the ones found in Mongolia and Altai area. Several different sized burial mounds can be also found around the lake.[11]
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