Lake Burullus
| Lake Burullus | |
|---|---|
 Map of Lake Burullus from the early 19th century | |
  Lake Burullus | |
| Coordinates | 31°29′N30°52′E/ 31.483°N 30.867°E |
| Max. length | c. 54 km (34 mi)[1] |
| Max. width | 6–21 km (3.7–13.0 mi)[1] |
| Surface area | 46,200 ha (114,000 acres) |
| Average depth | 75–100 cm (30–39 in)[1] |
| Designated | 9 September 1988 |
| Reference no. | 408[2] |
Lake Burullus(Arabic:بحيرة البرلس,romanized:Buḥayrat al-Burullus;Greek:λίμνη Σεβεννυτική,translit.limnē Sebennytikē)[3]is abrackish waterlake in theNile DeltainEgypt,the name coming from Burullus town (Coptic:Ϯⲡⲁⲣⲁⲗⲓⲁ,[4]fromAncient Greekπαράλιος,"coast, seaside"or ⲛⲓⲕⲉϫⲱⲟⲩNikejow). It is located inKafr el-Sheikh Governorateeast ofRosetta,bordered by theMediterranean Seain the north and agricultural land to the south.
History
[edit]In the early Islamic period, the port of Burullus was situated near the mouth of the lake (the place where it was connected to the sea through a small opening). Burullus port functioned as one of the defensive frontier settlements of the Nile Delta coast. An island settlement within the lake called Nastaru lent its name to the lake as a whole. Canals connected the lake to the Rosetta branch of the Nile. At this time the lake was growing and expanding southwards as a result of changes influvialdepositionand generalizedsubstratesubsidence.[5]
Geography
[edit]The lake is separated from the sea by a strip of land approximately 5.5 km (3.4 mi) wide. It is connected to the Mediterranean by the Burullus outlet, a channel about 250 m (820 ft) wide and 5 m (16 ft) deep. There are approximately 50 islands in the lake with a total area of 0.7 km2(0.27 sq mi). The lake's north shore is formed primarily ofsalt marshesandmudflats,while the south is mainlyreed beds.The dominant lake vegetation isPotamogeton.[1]
Hydrology
[edit]The lake receives drainage waters from surrounding agricultural land and fresh water from the Brembal Canal.[1]It is considered to be a lake andwetlandssite of International importance for birds under theRamsar Convention.Agriculture drainage water accounts for 97% of the total inflow to the lake (3.9 billion m3per year), followed by rain water (2%) and groundwater (1%). 16% of the lake's water evaporates and 84% flows to the sea.
Wildlife
[edit]According to a Biodiversity Report of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency 33 species of fish, 23 species of reptiles, 112 species of birds, and 18 species of mammals live in and around the lake. Fish species declined from 52 recorded at the beginning of the 20th century, mostly due to the inflow of agricultural drainage into the lake resulting in lower salinity.[6]
References
[edit]- ^abcdeFinkl, Charles W.; Makowski, Christopher (2017).Coastal Wetlands: Alteration and Remediation.Springer. p. 418.ISBN9783319561790.
- ^"Bahía de Samborombón".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
- ^
Smith, William,ed. (1857). "Sebennytus".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.Vol. 2. London: John Murray. p. 946.
- ^Pauline Todry."21- أسماء بعض البلاد المصرية بالقبطية"[The names of some Egyptian countries in Coptic -21].St-Takla.org(in Arabic).
- ^Cooper, John (2014).The Medieval Nile: Route, Navigation, and Landscape in Islamic Egypt.The American University in Cairo Press. pp. 72–73.ISBN9789774166143.
- ^Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency:Egypt State of the Environment Report 2007,Chapter on Biodiversity, 2008, accessed on November 8, 2009