Sutton Salt Lake

New Zealand's only inland salt water lake

45°34′35″S 170°5′12″E / 45.57639°S 170.08667°E / -45.57639; 170.08667Basin countriesNew Zealand

Sutton Salt Lake in Otago, is New Zealand's only inland salt water lake.^[1]^[2] It is located 10 kilometres west of Sutton, in the Strath Taieri.

The lake is filled only by rainwater and dries up during periods of warm weather and little rain.^[3] When full, the lake has salinity about one quarter to one third of that of seawater. The salinity is due to marine aerosols in rainwater which is concentrated by around 20000 evaporation and refilling cycles.^[1]

Sutton Salt Lake is also unique in that it lies in a region of windy cool-temperate maritime climate. This makes it different from most of the world's saline lakes, which usually form in arid continental landscapes. The total area of the lake, when the shallow depression is filled with rainwater, is nearly two hectares. The nearest coast is 50 kilometers from the lake.^[1]

The area around Sutton Lake gets 500 mm of rainfall annually. Coastal hills create a minor barrier to the rain, halving the amount of rainfall that the lake receives. Strong winds increase the lake's surface evaporation rate, which is around 700 mm/year.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Craw, D. "Sutton Salt Lake, Otago". University of Otago. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
^ New Zealand also has one coastal salt water lake, Lake Grassmere, a lagoon with no direct outflow to the sea.
^ "Middlemarch - Walks". Middlemarch. Retrieved 17 February 2014.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sutton Salt Lake.

Dunedin

Seat: Central Dunedin

Populated places

Central city	Central Dunedin City Rise Dunedin Harbourside Dunedin North The Exchange Fernhill Warehouse Precinct
Urban north	Balmacewen Burkes Dalmore The Gardens Glenleith Leith Valley Liberton Maia Maori Hill Mount Mera Normanby North East Valley Opoho Pine Hill Prospect Park Ravensbourne St Leonards Wakari Woodhaugh
Urban east	Challis The Cove Grants Braes Highcliff Vauxhall Waverley
Urban south	Andersons Bay Corstorphine Forbury Kensington Kew Musselburgh Ocean Grove (Tomahawk) St Clair St Kilda Shiel Hill South Dunedin Southern Endowment Sunshine Tahuna Tainui
Urban west	Abbotsford Balaclava Belleknowes Bradford Brockville Burnside Caversham Calton Hill Concord The Glen Glenross Green Island Halfway Bush Helensburgh Kaikorai Kaikorai Valley Kenmure Littlebourne Little Paisley Lookout Point Maryhill Mornington Roslyn
Surrounds	Allanton Aramoana Berwick Brighton Broad Bay Careys Bay Clarks Junction Company Bay East Taieri Evansdale Fairfield Harington Point Hawksbury Harwood Henley Hindon Hyde Karitane Macandrew Bay Middlemarch Momona Mosgiel Ocean View Otakou Outram Port Chalmers Portobello Pukehiki Pūrākaunui Roseneath Sawyers Bay Seacliff Sutton Tumai Waikouaiti Waitati Waldronville Warrington Whare Flat Wingatui

Geographic features

Dunedin	Bethune's Gully Dalmore Reserve Dunedin Town Belt Flagstaff Kaikorai Stream Lawyers Head Leith Saddle Lindsay Creek Moore's Bush Mount Cargill Otago Harbour Ross Creek Reservoir Signal Hill St Clair and St Kilda Beaches Sullivans Dam Tomahawk Beach Tomahawk Lagoon Water of Leith
Surrounds	Allans Beach Blueskin Bay Bird Island Blackhead Boulder Beach Cape Saunders Careys Creek Deep Stream Dunedin volcanic group volcano Foulden Maar Great Moss Swamp Green Island (Ōkaihae) Hawksbury Lagoon Hoopers Inlet Huriawa Peninsula Island Park Recreation Reserve The Kilmog Lake Tatawai Lammermoor Range Mapoutahi Maungatua Mount Watkin / Hikaroroa Orokonui Ecosanctuary Otago Heads Otago Peninsula Papanui Inlet Pleasant River Quarantine Island Rakiriri Rock and Pillar Range Saddle Hill Sandfly Bay Sandymount The Silverpeaks Silver Stream Smaills Beach Strath Taieri Sutton Salt Lake Swampy Summit Taiaroa Head Taieri Gorge Taieri Plain Taieri River Tunnel Beach Victory Beach Waikouaiti River Waipori River Waitati River Whareakeake White Island

Dunedin