Lake Saroma

Lake Saroma (サロマ湖, Saroma-ko), also Saroma Lagoon,[1] is a coastal lagoon (hence a body of brackish water) in Saroma, Kitami, and Yūbetsu Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park. By area, the lake is the third largest in Japan and the largest in Hokkaidō.

Lake Saroma
Saroma Lagoon
Overlooking Lake Saroma
Lake Saroma
Location	Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan
Coordinates	44°10′N 143°43′E
Type	Mesotrophic
Native name	サロマ湖  (Japanese)
Primary outflows	Sea of Okhotsk
Catchment area	618 km^2 (239 sq mi)
Basin countries	Japan
Surface area	150 km^2 (37,000 acres)
Average depth	8.7 m (29 ft)
Max. depth	19.5 m (64 ft)
Water volume	1.3 km^3 (0.31 cu mi)
Shore length^1	82.4 km (51.2 mi)
Surface elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Frozen	December to March
Islands	none
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The name comes from the Ainu place name Saruomahetsu, meaning "place of many Miscanthus reeds and rushes".[2]

Another nearby coastal lagoon is Notoro Lagoon.

References

1. Japan, the New Official Guide. Japan Travel Bureau. 1966. p. 1046. To the NW of Lake Abashiri lie the Notoro Lagoon (32 km in circumference and 58 sq km in area) and the Saroma Lagoon (72 km in circumference and 149 sq km in area).
2. Akagi Sanpei (赤木 三兵), Journey of Hokkaidō Place Names—Notes on Ainu Language Place Names (北海道 地名の旅—アイヌ語地名解, Hokkaidō Chimei no Tabi — Ainugo Chimei Kai), page 56

• SAROMA-KO, World Lakes Database, International Lake Environment Committee.