Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia was once the sixth-largest saltwater lake on the planet, covering roughly 2,000 square miles (5,200 square kilometers). Located in northwestern Iran, the lake supported active navigation for decades, with passenger boats transporting tourists across its waters. In the first image, captured by Ataei Mohammadi, the grounded tourist vessel Artemis now sits in vast expanse of mud, salt, and sediment, stranded as waters retreated.

By 2017, prolonged drought and the damming of inflow rivers had reduced Lake Urmia to just 10% of its original size. While water levels briefly rebounded in 2019 and 2020 due to above-average precipitation and restoration efforts, the timelapse below captures the unmistakable imprint of a long-term environmental crisis unfolding.

Timelapse created by @dailyoverview
Source imagery: NASA / Google Timelapse / Planet