The Real Picture of Lake Sevan's Ice Cover is Different: Ministry of Environment on Rumors

The Ministry of Environment has issued a statement regarding the hydrological regime of Lake Sevan: "Recently, several news outlets have reported that Lake Sevan is completely covered with ice, noting that this is the first time in the last 7 years that the lake has frozen entirely.

The real picture regarding the ice cover of Lake Sevan is different. Observations regarding the hydrological regime of Lake Sevan, including ice phenomena, are conducted at four observation points operated by the Ministry of Environment’s ‘HayHydromet’ agency: Sevan Peninsula, Shorja, Martuni, and Karchaghbyur. According to the data collected from these observation points, there have been no ice phenomena in the visible part of the lake from January 1 to January 25, 2024. The first ice phenomena of this year were observed at the Sevan Peninsula observation point on January 26, appearing in the form of edge ice in coastal areas. No ice phenomena have been noted at the other three observation points yet.

Ice phenomena hold significant prominence in the hydrological regime of Lake Sevan. The initial ice phenomena, which first form near the shore, can appear from the end of October. Edge ice/shore ice forms in Lake Sevan almost every year; however, the lake does not get completely covered with ice every year. Since 1890, total ice cover has been observed in the lake (a situation where the lake is entirely covered with stationary ice for more than ten consecutive days) in the years 1890, 1905, 1921, 1925, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2017, typically from the end of January or February. The thickness of stationary ice during those years ranged from 20 to 40 cm.

In certain years—1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2007—total ice cover was only observed in the Great Sevan, while in the Little Sevan, either no total ice cover was recorded or it was only partial. According to historical observation data, the earliest that Lake Sevan froze occurred on January 16, 2008, and the latest on February 28, 1959. In terms of duration, the ice cover in the lake lasted the longest in 1972, maintaining for 72 days.

Overall, the total ice cover of the lake has both positive and negative aspects. The positive aspect is that under ice cover conditions, evaporation is almost non-existent, which averages 2 million cubic meters of water daily in January. The negative aspect is that the surface ice that forms on the lake impedes oxygen solubility in the water, leading to a decrease in the oxygen levels in the water."