Luoma Lake

Luoma Lake (Chinese: 骆马湖) is located in central Jiangsu province, China, northwest of Suqian. In an average year, the lake, connecting with the Grand Canal, takes up an area of 375 square kilometers. In Jiangsu Province of China, it is perceived as one of the four major freshwater lakes. Besides its historical values, it is currently known for traveling; it is listed as one of the main attractions for tourists visiting the city of Suqian.[2]

Luoma Lake
Luoma Lake
LocationSuqian and Xuzhou
Jiangsu
Coordinates34.09°N 118.18°E / 34.09; 118.18
Typefreshwater lake and semi-artificial reservoir
Native name骆马湖  (Chinese)
Primary inflowsGrand Canal
Yellow River (previously)
Primary outflowsGrand Canal
Xinyi River
Yi River
Yellow River (previously)
Basin countries People's Republic of China
Max. length27 km (17 mi)
Max. width20 km (12 mi)
Surface area375 km2 (145 sq mi)
Average depth3.32 m (10.9 ft)
Max. depth5.5 m (18 ft)
Water volume270,000,000 m3 (9.5×109 cu ft)
Islandsmore than 60
SettlementsXinyi
Suqian
Luoma Lake
Simplified Chinese骆马湖
Traditional Chinese駱馬湖
Alternate names[1]
Simplified Chinese乐马湖
Traditional Chinese樂馬湖
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese洛马湖
Traditional Chinese洛馬湖
Second alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese马乐湖
Traditional Chinese馬樂湖

Origin

Currently, most people in the city believe that Luoma lake gets its name from its shape, which looks like the backbone of a horse. They insist that this lake is formed by nature.[2] Indeed, Luoma Lake was initially formed as a tectonic lake and enlarged by the change of river system. Due to the change in the course of Yellow River which temporarily merged with Si River and Huai River between Song and Qing dynasties, the Yellow River flooded this area for several times and enlarged the surface area of Luoma Lake. During the past 300 years, the Yellow River brought sediments into Luoma Lake and created depositions inside the lake.[3] In the 1950s, dams were constructed around the lake and made the lake a larger semi-artificial reservoir.

History

The history of Luoma Lake can be traced back to the period of Gaozong of Song. According to his autobiography, he came to this place and named it as Luoma, which literally means horse backbone.[1] Because "Luoma" shares the same pronunciation with the phrase "being removed from office due to corruption" in Mandarin Chinese, the county government of Xinyi renamed it "Longma Lake", which has been boycotted by local people.[4]


Ecosystem

Due to its temperature and humidity appropriate for living, several species inhabit in Luoma Lake. Those species include phragmites, nelumbo nucifera, silver carp, Chinese white shrimp, and crab.[1]

Cyanobacteria Community

A study was conducted in Luoma Lake in 2015 to investigate the factors that influence the cyanobacteria abundance. It suggests that this abundance has a positive relationship with the concentration of ammonium and a negative one with oxygen concentration.[5]

References
  1. 骆马湖简介. Suqian People's Government. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. "Luoma Lake Scenic region - an attraction of Suqian, Jiangsu". suqian.jiangsu.net. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  3. "The Origin And Evolution of Luoma Lake--《Journal of Lake Sciences》1989年01期". en.cnki.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  4. "江苏千年骆马湖因谐音落马改名 现成"马上湖"". 搜狐网. 2010-05-23.
  5. Ren, Ying; Liu, Yuanshu; Hu, Wenrong; Hao, Daping; Pei, Haiyan; Tian, Chang; Wei, Jielin; Feng, Yawei (2016-03-27). "Seasonal pattern of cyanobacteria community and its relationship with environmental factors: a case study in Luoma Lake, East China". Desalination and Water Treatment. 57 (15): 6658–6669. doi:10.1080/19443994.2015.1015450. ISSN 1944-3994.


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