Issyk-Kul once receded by kilometers: Scientist explains lake’s mystery

The President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, stated that the water level of Issyk-Kul has fluctuated significantly in the past and may have receded by more than a kilometer.

According to him, data from Google Earth indicate that an ancient shoreline was located approximately 1.25 kilometers from the current one. These changes are estimated to have occurred around 5,000–7,000 years ago.

The scientist noted that such fluctuations are cyclical in nature. The lake’s water level can both rise and fall, with these phases lasting for centuries.

«Most likely, what we are observing now is a natural stage of declining water levels — a phase of shallowing,» he said.

Thus, the ongoing changes in Issyk-Kul may be part of a long-term natural cycle rather than solely the result of current climatic or human-related factors.