Lake Majatra

Lake Majatra straddles the semi-arid border between the Majatran nations of Cobura, Deltaria, Jelbe, Jakania and Zardugal. It is the largest, deepest and oldest lake in the Majatra, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that are of worldwide importance. However, human activity on the lake shores and in its catchment area is resulting in the ecosystem coming under stress. Lake Majatra holds a maximum depth of 288 m and a mean depth of 155 m. It covers an area of 1,358 km², containing an estimated 245.4 km³ of water.

The water at the surface of Lake Majatra moves predominantly in an anti-clockwise direction along the shore, as a result of wind forcing and earth rotation. In terms of vertical water exchange, convective mixing during winter cooling is the dominant process. However in an average winter only the top 150-200 meters of the lake are mixed, whereas the water below is stably stratified by salinity. The stability due to this salinity gradient allows complete convective mixing events only roughly once every 7 years. Both in terms of nutrient concentration, as well as biological parameters Lake Majatra qualifies as oligotrophic. Thanks to this oligotrophy and the filtered spring inflows, the water is exceptionally clear with transparencies to a depth of as much as 22 meters (66 feet).