Zharman
Жарман
2021 Sentinel-2 image of the lake
Zharman
Coordinates	51°35′N 64°27′E / 51.583°N 64.450°E / 51.583; 64.450
Type	endorheic
Catchment area	1,860 square kilometers (720 sq mi)
Basin countries	Kazakhstan
Max. length	12.8 kilometers (8.0 mi)
Max. width	7 kilometers (4.3 mi)
Surface area	56.9 square kilometers (22.0 sq mi)
Max. depth	1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in)
Residence time	UTC+6

Zharman (Kazakh: Жарман)^[1] is a salt lake in Naurzum District, Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan.^[2]

Zharman is part of the main lake group of the Naurzum Nature Reserve, a 191,381 hectares (472,910 acres) protected area established in 2009.^[3][4] The village of Karamendy, former Dokuchayevka, is located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) to the west, and Shili village 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) to the east of the lake. Now abandoned Naurzum village is located near the southern lakeshore.^[5]

Geography

Zharman is a shallow saline steppe lake. It lies at the bottom of a vast depression of the Turgay Basin,^[6] between lakes Sarymoin and Zharkol to the north, and Aksuat to the south. The coastline is very indented, with multitude of bays and peninsulas. Shores are sandy and the bottom is muddy. Meadows near the shore are a seasonal grazing ground for local cattle.^[7][5]

The lake is fed by spring snows and rainwater. In the summer it breaks up into a cluster of separate lakes, and in years of drought Zharman may dry up. However, in years of good rainfall its level may rise significantly, connecting with Sarymoyyn and Zharkol lakes to the north and becoming a single body of water with a surface of over 100 square kilometers (39 sq mi).^[7]

Flora and fauna

Typha and Phragmites reeds grow on the northern lakeshore. Fescue, gorse, wormwood, sedges and tall grasses cover the floodplain of the lake. Zharman is a stopover of bird migratory routes, with species such as swans, cranes, flamingos, geese and ducks finding a temporary habitat in the lake during their yearly migration. Among the fish species in the lake, the most abundant are the crucian carp and the perch.^[7]