Comments regarding Uremia Lake rehabilitation proposal

نظرات دریافتی در مورد طرح احیا دریاچه ارومیه

Peri Coleman wrote on 12.14.2009

What caused the drop in level in the period leading up to 1935? What caused its reversal? Do you have earlier data to get a handle on whether these last two fluctuations in Lake level (1935 and now) are part of a regular cycle that the animals have learnt to tolerate over millenia? Or are these two fluctuations a new feature of the hydrological cycle of the lake? Sediment cores should give you some idea - you can check out diatoms and the oogonia of charophyte species to estimate the salinity at different stages down a sediment core...

Until you have confirmation on whether this is a normal and tolerable variation, or a catastrophic change, it would seem a little early to be developing such an energy intensive rescue mission. Ideally, ecological restoration should be self sustaining - the changes we make should be able to maintain themselves without further input from mankind.

Are you sure this is a resuce package for the lake and the artemia, and not an ambit claim for Caspian Sea water to feed desalination plants designed essentially for the economic benefit of the region? 

All the best

Peri

Arie Nissenbaum wrote on 12.13.2009

Dear Dr. Golabian,

Thank you for bringing to my attention your proposal to conserve Lake Uremia.

I am not personally acquainted with this lake. I have visited Lake Van couple of times, but I realize that Lake Uremia is different.

Saving the lake is certainly a worthwhile project from many points of view. Being a geochemist I find it difficult to evaluate the engineering aspects of the proposal. From a layman point of view, my impression is that it involved a huge scale project with enormous financial investments. . Such a project requires a very careful economic and environmental analysis. On  a personal level, I should say that I am somewhat hesitant  about huge large scale man-made project where the  long term benefits can be out weighed by the harm done. 

As a geochemist, I would like to see a thorough evaluation of the effects of mixing of lake water with that of the Caspian. For example, what will happen to sulfate concentration in the restored lake. Will gypsum start to precipitate? How will the restored lake behave from a mixing aspect?  what will be the evaporation from the restored lake?  Is the preservation of Artemia worth all this investment? perhaps creating a controlled (but very large) lagoon might be helpful in preserving the Artemia population. etc. etc.

Those are just very few of the questions and problems that may rise. I have been following for years the studies that were conducted in the plans to restore the Dead Sea, and I can only say that we  are still not sure how to go about it and whether the benefits will outweigh the advantages.

I am sorry that I can not be of much assistance, but do not hesitate to contact me for any more information and clarification.

sincerely

Arie Nissenbaum
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research
Weizmann Institute of Science

Dr Michael R Rosen wrote on 12.11.2009

Dear Dr Golabian,

Many thanks for sharing your interesting proposal to help Lake Uremia.  The importation of foreign water to lakes does have some issues not mentioned in your proposal.  For example, without purifying the water completely, there is always the possibility of harming the artemia by importing competing organisms to the lake.  Futhermore, if the chemistry of the Caspian Sea water is significantly different to the lake water, unintended minerals may precipitate that could effect the chemical balance that artemia need to survive.  

Although you mention that the drought is a major cause of the lake level declines, it appears that the lake has gone through these types of changes in the past (lake levels were very low in the 1930's for example), but that the use of the river water for agriculture is really the main permanent change in the source of recharge to the lake.   From the pictures you showed, the lake also has some spectacular tufa or microbialite mounds that also should be protected.  

Presumably the economics of the project would be somewhat large, it would be interesting to see if such a project would be initiated to save a brine shrimp and birds.  My main concern is the importation of unintended organisms and changes in lake chemistry that could occur through this project.  I believe these are major issues that need to be addressed.   If you can address these types of concerns, then it could be a possible way to get more water to the lake.

I wish you the best of luck with the project.

Michael
   Research Hydrologist
Nevada Water Science Center
US Geological Survey
2730 N. Deer Run Road
Carson City NV 89701
USA

Francisco Amat Doménech wrote on 12.11.2009

Dear Mr. Golabian

I am deeply thankful to you for sending me your project  dealing with 
the  rehabilitation of Urmia lake. I had a previous opportunity to find
your paper  looking for some  additional information from the lake into
the NET.

Now, my question is  ¿¿how were you aware about my interest for the lake
??  ¿¿ do you know the existence of some aim from Iranian scientists in
order to save the lake ??  ¿¿ and the plead for some cooperation from
abroad ??

I´m interested about the "live lake" because my implication in the
biology, ecology and biodiversity of the genus Artemia species, so
implicated to better knowing about the aspects dealing with Artemia
urmiana conservation.

Waiting to hear from you soon.

Francisco Amat Doménech
Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC)
12595 Ribera de Cabanes (Castellón) SPAIN.
phone: 00 34 964 319500
fax :     00 34 964 319509
amat@iats.csic.es

Aharon Oren wrote on 12.11.2009

Dear Dr. Golabian,

I have read your proposal with great interest.  I was well aware of 
the problems connected with the drying-up of Lake Urmia, the 
near-disappearance of Artemia from the lake and the appearance of red 
halophilic Archaea that are characteristic of the most hypersaline
water bodies only.  I am also familiar with the work of my friend
Mohammad Ali Amoozegar of the University of Teheran on these 
microorganisms.

I know that the Artemia harvest from the lake is a major source of
income and that the lake is major supplier of Artemia on a world-wide 
scale, and an important resource for bird life.

The current problems are caused both by climatic changes but even more
by the diversion of freshwater for agriculture, domestic use, etc. 
Here the case of Lake Urmia is not unique – the ecological disaster
following the changes that occurred in the Aral Sea shows this very 
clearly; the case of the Dead Sea, with which I am most familiar, is 
similar.

Reading your proposal – I find there many elements familiar to me from
earlier proposals relating to the Dead Sea - saving a lake by bringing 
water from elsewhere in a project including water desalination, 
aquaculture, tourism, local development, pumped storage of water for a 
hydroelectrical power plant, etc. (see the references at the end of 
this message; these are examples only, and I have much more material 
in my files).

I see two or three major problems with your proposal.  The first
relates to the amounts of water to be brought in, the second to the 
energy cost and possibly engineering problems as well, connected with 
the need to pump water from the Caspian Sea uphill by more than 1.6 
km, and the third is of a political nature.

Looking at the amounts of water planned to enter the lake – 3-7 km3 
(or 15-20 km3?) per year in the first years, 2.5-5 km3 per year after 
stabilization of the water level at a desired value, I am not sure 
that these will be sufficient to lower the salinity of the upper water 
layers. With a total surface of 5,200 km2, 1 km3 of water will raise
the water level by 19 cm only. When realizing that (1) a shallow
diluted layer of 1-2 meters or less will rapidly mix with the brines 
below due to the action of wind and waves, and therefore the desired 
low salinity will not be reached, and (2) evaporation, surely in the 
order of 2-3 m per year at the hot and dry climate of the area, will 
more than counteract the diluting effect of the Caspian Sea water.  I
do not understand your statement that “a 60 mm thick layer from the 
Caspian Sea surface will be enough to rescue the lake and restore its 
ideal/ecological level, and for a volumetric permanence, approx. 3-16 
mm thick layer of water addition from the Caspian Sea will be 
sufficient annually”.

The second problem I see, probably even more severe than the first, is
the tremendous difference in elevation to be overcome by pumping. A
water carrier from the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead 
Sea may be attractive as the water flows from 0 to 423 m below sea 
level, so downhill with the potential gain of energy, but in the case 
of the proposed Caspian Sea - Lake Urmia water carrier, water has to 
be pumped up from -28 m to +1600 m. The document you sent does not
provide any information on the way this will be done. In one stage
with pumps that should work at a pressure of >160 atmospheres, or in 
stages?  How much energy will this cost and how does it influence the
economics of the project? The proposal talks about energy gains, but
these can only mean the recovery of a (small) fraction of the energy 
invested to get all the water uphill. The same is true in the case of
your statement about a “cheap method by using gravity force for 
creation of the necessary pressure for R.O. water desalinization”.  
This may be true, but the report again fails to mention that to pump
the water up to the high level from where it will flow down by 
gravity, far more energy will have to be invested.  I am not qualified
to make quantitative calculations, but my feeling is that the amount 
of “green and environmentally friendly electric power” to be generated 
in the osmotic power plants to be established near the lake will only 
be a tiny fraction of the amount of power to be invested to pump the 
water from the Caspian Sea up by more than 1.6 km.

A third potential problem is of a political nature: Iran is not the
only state bordering the Caspian Sea. International agreements with
the neighboring countries may therefore be necessary for such a 
project to be implemented.

I hope that these comments will be helpful, and I am looking forward
to your reactions and feedback.

With best wishes,

Aharon Oren


References:

Gavrieli, I. & Oren, A. (2004) The Dead Sea as a dying lake. In: Dying
and Dead Seas. Climatic versus Anthropic Causes. (eds J. C. J. Nihoul, 
P. O. Zavialov & P. P. Micklin) pp 287-305. Kluwer Academic
Publishers, Dordrecht.

Gavrieli, I., Bein, A. & Oren, A. (2005) The expected impact of the
“Peace Conduit” project (the Red Sea – Dead Sea pipeline) on the Dead 
Sea. Mitig. Adapt. Strat. Global Change 10, 759-777.

Ne’eman, Y. & Schul, I. (1983) Israel’s Dead Sea Project. Ann. Rev. 
Energy 8, 113-136.

Weiner, D. (1985) The Dead Sea. Past, present, future. Interdisc. Sci.

Rev. 10, 151-158.

Hello Hossien,

I have had a look at your plan for fixing Lake Uremia.

It certainly is a grand vision.  But the economist in me tells me the initial engineering will cost too much for Iran, and that pumping water from the Caspian Sea will be an expensive on-going exercise.  What you need is a detailed cost-benefit analysis--- I suspect that it will be difficult to justify the gains against the costs of running expenses, let alone the capital outlay.  Even if you allay my fears on economics, as a biologist, I am horrified at the transfer of water between one degraded lake to another.  The Caspain Sea is full of introduced species, many of which are causing major problems.  I think particularly of a jellyfish that has greatly reduced the fishing industry in the Caspian.  It will be very difficult and costly to try to keep these introduced organisms out of the incoming water into Lake Uremia.  And goodness knows the result of possible biological introductions into Lake Uremia.

To me the only solution for Uremia is to STOP diverting all waters naturally flowing into the lake and to depopulate the area.  Of course this is totally unpalatable.   Even this may not help much due to climate change.  In which case the solution is for us to greatly reduce the amont of CO2 in the atmosphere, and nobody is going to do that (a la failed Copenhagen Conference).

I tend to agree with the Irishman Murphy that we are all doomed!

Have you contacted Prof Nick Aladin of St Petersberg?  He is an expert on the Aral and Caspian Seas.  His email address is aral@zin.ru

Best wishes

Brian Timms

Answer:

Dear Brian Timmes,

Thanks for u smart comments, as u have mentioned every possible solution
should be tested against a cost/benefit analysis, which I am trying do and
update the proposal accordingly. Regarding biological contamination we have
to consider the very high salinity in Uremia Lake in which except some few
fauna and flora can't survive! Rivers flowing into the lake are very
contaminated but fortunately according to a study* no bacterial
contamination in the lake is observed so far.

Lake is situation in a very densely populated area which is deeply dependent
on the water inflowing to the lake, a need which is in a very rapid increase
for the available sweet water, it is unimaginable to cut or  even reduce the
current water supply pattern.

Best wishes Hossein Golabian

*"Ghaheri and Baghal-Vayjooee in their summary review of Uremia Lake
referred to bacteriological tests conducted on lake sediments and concluded
that there are no bacteria in the lake that is pathogenic to humans. These
authors did mention the presence of non-pathogenic bacteria, detected using
dead Artemia remains. In previous studies performed by two pathogenic
bacteria, Clostridium perfringens and Streptococcus faecalis were detected
in Uremia Lake. It seems that these bacteria exist mainly in those areas at
which rivers enter into the lake and appear to have origins from
agricultural runoff and possibly sewage" systems.

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