Chott el Djerid (Arabic: شط الجريدŠoṭṭ el-Jarīd) also spelled Sciott Gerid and Shott el Jerid,[2][3][4][5] is a chott, a large endorheicsalt lake in southern Tunisia. The name can be translated from the Arabic into English as "Lagoon of the Land of Palms".[6]
The bottom of Chott el Djerid is located between 10 and 25 meters (about 30 to 80 feet) below sea level.[7] The lake's width varies widely; at its narrowest point, it is only 20 km (12 mi) across, compared to its overall length of 250 km (160 mi). At times, parts of it appear in various shades of white, green and purple.[8] The narrow eastward inlet of the chott is also known as Chott el Fejej.
It is the largest salt pan of the Sahara Desert, with a surface area of over 7,000 km2 (some sources state 5,000 km2). The site has a typical hot desert climate. Due to the harsh climate with mean annual rainfall of below 100 mm and daytime temperatures sometimes reaching 50 °C (122 °F) or more during summer with dense solar radiation, water evaporates from the lake. In summer Chott el Djerid is almost entirely dried up, and numerous fata morganas occur. It is situated at 33°42′N8°26′E / 33.700°N 8.433°E / 33.700; 8.433 in the center-west of the country, between the cities of Tozeur and Kebili.
Because the flooded area is very variable, values presented for the area of the lake (or its basin, which is almost always dry), can vary widely. Some sources provide values for surface area as high as 10,000 km². Similarly, figures given for altitude vary between 10 meters above and 25 meters below sea level.
Currently, freshwaterirrigation schemes are being applied in the region to help eliminate salt from soils and increase the productive area.
Relict populations of the West African crocodile persisted in the Chott el Djerid until the early 20th century.[10]Pink flamingos have been known to use the shores of the lake as nesting sites in springtime.[6]
Chott el Djerid is the namesake of the Jerid Lacuna, an endorheic hydrocarbon lake on the Saturnian moon Titan. That lake is located at 66.7°N and 221°W and contains liquidmethane and ethane[11] instead of water.
There has been a growing interest in permanently connecting the Chott el Djerid to the Mediterranean to create a Sahara Sea since the mid 2010s with the creation of the association Cooperation Road[12] which in 2018 obtained the approval of the Tunisian government.[13]
A similar project was also considered in the 19th and 20th century by FranceinFrench Tunisia.[14]
^ abScheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. pp. 125–126. ISBN0-89577-087-3.
^Jousiffe, Ann (2010). Tunisia. Globetrotter: Guide and Map Series (4th ed.). London: New Holland Publishers. ISBN978-1845378646. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
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