Artemia
mortality
in Lake Urmia, given that this organism has a specific life span, indicates the
continuation of the life cycle of the only living organism in the second largest salt water
lake on
Earth.
Dr. Ali Nekoui Fard, the head of the Iranian Artemia Research Center, in an
interview with Barish News said that the amount
of Artemia in the lake is more
than 200 tons and added: The composition
of Artemia in the lake is 683 adults per cubic meter, 2,666 newbornnauplii per cubic meter, 833 juvenile per
cubic meter and 56,230 eggs per cubic meter. The head of the Iranian
Artemia Research Center continued: At present, the volume of the lake is 56.4 billion
cubic meters and the area of the lake is 3,080 square kilometers. The area of
the lake has increased by 918 square kilometers compared to last year. He stated that every natural environment has
organisms with specific life spans, and added: In
very good condition with salinity of 120 g / L and sufficient food, Artemia
life span is 3 months and they die after the end of their life span. Dr. Ali Nekoui
Fard continued: As the weather warms up and the
salinity of the water increases, Artemia gets a shorter life span but
there is no problem with Artemia's life cycle and we are witnessing a
very good state of this aquatic
crustacean in Lake Urmia. He mentioned
that one of the reasons for turning the color of Lake Urmia to blood red is the
bloom of the microalgae Dunaliella. The head of the Iranian
Artemia Research Center added: As the lake's water becomes saline, these
single-celled microalgae change color in
order to be able to withstand water salinity, which is why the lake turns red.Referring
to the sludge of the lake, he said: One of the causes of lake sludge is the
masses of dead Artemia. Finally, the head of the Iranian Artemia Research
Center said about
the reasons for seeing dead Artemia on the shores of Lake Urmia: The main reason
for observing them is the wind blowing to the beach and collecting them on the
beach.