Lake Barun-Torey
Russia, Trans-Baikal Territory, Daur Reserve
Description:
Lake Barun-Torey is the largest in the steppe Transbaikalia. Together with one of the lakes of the Torei depression - Zun-Torei, with which Barun-Torei is connected by two channels with a width of about one hundred meters, they form a single system with an unstable hydrological regime.
Depending on climate change, the lakes dried up several times and then refilled with water. This phenomenon is observed with periodicity once in thirty years. So, the last time Barun-Torei dried up in 1982, filling up only in 1995.
It is noteworthy that the chemical composition of the water is directly related to the level of the lake: in the years when it is full, the water in Barun-Toreya is almost fresh, and as the volume decreases, the mineralization of the water increases.
Lake Barun-Torey is part of two reserves: from the Russian side - Daursky Reserve, and from Mongolia - "Mongol-Dagur", or Mongolian Dauria.