Narlıgöl Crater Lake

Narlıgöl Crater Lake, approximately 21 meters deep and covering 0.7 square kilometers, is a volcanically formed lake basin known for its scientific importance. Home to a species of microdiatoms, the lake's waters remain icy cold from top to bottom in winter. As temperatures rise in spring, the lake's waters separate into a warm upper half (epilimnion) and a lower half (hypolimnion) that remains cold and oxygen-deficient. Large blooms of phytoplankton (or plankton blooms) in early summer alter the water's chemistry, resulting in the lake's varying colors.