Meromictic Lake (George Town)

Malaysia / Pulau Pinang / Tanjong Bunga / George Town
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   5°27'8"N   100°11'7"E

Comments

  • A unique natural lake which is 1 sq. km in size, resulting from seasonal phenomenon of wind, tidal action and sedimentation from wave action, at certain time of the year the river mouth (a 1 metre wide opening) will be blocked by sandbank resulting in fresh river water getting trapped within and seawater seeps through the sandbank and fill the inland area slowly. The two layers of fresh and seawater never mix, the cool fresh water stays at the top and the warm seawater stays at the bottom, hence the name meromictic. When the combination of rain, wind, tidal and wave condition is right, it breaks the sand embankment, water will flow out rapidly through the river mouth into the sea and in no time the same area becomes a field of mudflats, with hardy, terrestrial grass. To survive, animals and plants living in and around the lake must adapt to its changing conditions, several species of crabs, fish and prawns breed well in these waters. Lichens flourish on branches of scrubby trees.
  • The lake is situated in Penang National Park, currently the smallest national park in the world.
  • You should see the lake when it's dry. One hella lake of mud! Waist high of mud!
This article was last modified 14 years ago