The specialist explained why Lake Issyk-Kul is becoming shallower
Head of the Department of Meteorology, Ecology and Environmental Protection of KRSU Andrey Podrezov told why the water level in Issyk-Kul is decreasing.
On Sputnik radio Kyrgyzstan, Podrezov explained that the level of the lake has changed more than once throughout the history of its existence: it was 60 meters higher than the current one and 250 meters lower.
– The main reason for the current shallowing can be called climate change and precipitation levels in the basin. Second reason – water intake for irrigation work from the rivers that feed Issyk-Kul. Third reason – tectonic: The lake bottom continues to sink. However, watching this process even within a hundred years is simply ridiculous – it's much longer, – the specialist emphasized.
He clarified that in each century there are cycles of warming and cooling. After 2010–2015, a cooling like the one observed in the 60-70s of the last century should have begun. Since it did not occur, we can say that natural cycles have broken down and the current warming will last longer than expected.
