Lake Ichkeul, Tunisia

Click on Image to Enlarge  (JPG) Lake Ichkeul, Tunisia (372,673 bytes) ( 1,332 x 1,534 )

In northern Tunisia, Ichkeul Lake and wetland are a major stopover point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, such as ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingoes, who come to feed and nest there. Ichkeul is the last remaining lake in a chain that once extended across North Africa. The Ichkeul National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986. The lake badly deteriorated as the result of the construction of three dams on rivers supplying it and its marshes. The dams cut off almost all inflow of fresh water, causing a destructive increase in the salinity of the lake and marshes. Reed beds, sedges and other fresh-water plant species have been replaced with salt-loving plants, with a consequent sharp reduction in the migratory bird populations dependent on the habitat the lake formerly provided. The Tunisian government plans to undertake various measures to retain freshwater in the lake on a year-round basis and reduce the salinity of the lake. The two ASTER 3-2-1 RGB composites depict vegetation in shades of red. In 2005 (bottom) the water level is higher than 2001 (top), but a large part of the lake appears red due to the presence of aquatic plants. The images cover an area of 11.4 x 20.0 km, and were acquired 14 November 2001 (top) and 29 July 2005 (bottom). They are centered near latitude 37.1 degrees North, longitude 9.7 degrees East.

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Lake Ichkeul, Tunisia Type: (JPG) Size: (372,673 bytes) Resolution ( 1,332 x 1,534 )