Garabogazköl Aylagy

Monday, November 12, 2012

Garabogazköl Aylagy

Garabogazköl Aylagy (Garabogazköl, Кара-Богаз-Гол) is a shallow inundated depression in the northwestern corner of Turkmenistan. It forms a lagoon of the Caspian Sea with a surface area of about 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi). It is separated from the Caspian Sea proper, which lies immediately to the west, by a narrow, rocky ridge having a very narrow opening in the rock through which the Caspian waters flow, cascading down into Garabogazköl. The water volume of the bay fluctuates seasonally with the Caspian Sea; at times it becomes a large bay of the Caspian Sea, while at other times its water level drops drastically.
The salinity of the bay is about 35%, compared to the Caspian Sea's 1.2% and 3.5% for the world's oceans. Because of the exceptionally high salinity it has practically no marine vegetation.