就像[[咸海]]一样，巴尔喀什湖也因为其流入的河流修建了分水水渠，流入的水量减少而渐渐萎缩。<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716085418/http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/asi/asi-54.html Lake Balkhash], International Lake Environment Committee</ref>

== 特色 ==

巴爾喀什湖是世界上極少數有鹹淡湖水分別佔半的湖。因為湖東西兩部分有湖峽水道相連，所以在定義上是一個湖。

巴爾喀什湖是一個典型的[[內陸湖]]，大陸性氣候令湖面蒸發大量湖水。[[萨雷耶西克半岛]]將巴尔喀什湖分为东西两部分,並由一条狭窄的水道[[乌泽纳拉尔]]（宽约3.5公里）连接。<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTOTAL-LDSK200904006.htm|title=苏联时期哈萨克斯坦伊犁-巴尔喀什湖流域开发述评|author=付颖昕|date=2009年7月2日|publisher=兰州大学学报}}</ref>湖的西半部分为[[淡水]]，而另一半则含盐度较高。<ref>{{cite journal|author=Yoshiko Kawabata ''et al.'' |year=1997|title=The phytoplankton of some saline lakes in Central Asia|journal=International Journal of Salt Lake Research|volume=6|issue=1|pages=5–16|doi=10.1007/BF02441865}}</ref><ref name="britanica">{{cite web|url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/50390/Lake-Balkhash|title = Lake Balkhash|publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica |accessdate = 2009-01-29}}</ref><ref name="ground">{{cite book|author = Igor S. Zektser, Lorne G Everett|title = Groundwater and the Environment: Applications for the Global Community|url = http://books.google.com/?id=NueJf_WhSw4C&pg=PA76&dq=Balkhash|publisher = CRC Press|year = 2000|page = 76|isbn = 1-56670-383-2}}</ref><ref name="phys_geo">{{cite book|author=Maria Shahgedanova|title = The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia|url = http://books.google.com/?id=8CFiT3qbN5UC&pg=PA140&dq=Balkhash|publisher = Oxford University Press|year = 2002|pages = 140–141|isbn = 0-19-823384-1}}</ref>