lakebed

Emissions and the Great Salt Lake

September 4, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Great Salt Lake in Utah has been described as a puddle of its former self. The lake’s size fluctuates naturally with seasonal and long-term weather patterns, but the lake has been experiencing decline for decades as Utahans take water out of the rivers and streams that once fed the lake. Over recent decades, the lake has lost 73% of its water and 60% of its surface area.

For years, scientists and environmental leaders have warned that the Great Salt Lake is headed toward a catastrophic decline. Recent research has found that the lake’s desiccating shores are becoming a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have calculated that the dried-out portions of the lakebed released about 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in 2020.

The recent study, published in the journal One Earth, suggests that the Great Salt Lake – which is largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere – as well as other shrinking saline lakes around the world could become major contributors of climate-warming emissions.

The shrinking back of the water has exposed a dusty lakebed that is laced with arsenic, mercury, lead, and other toxic substances. Some are naturally occurring, and others are the residue of mining activity in the region. These substances threaten to increase rates of respiratory conditions, heart and lung disease, and cancers.

As the lake shrinks, it is becoming saltier and uninhabitable to native flies and brine shrimp and may increasingly become unable to support the 10 million migratory birds and wildlife that frequent it.

The new research about greenhouse gas emissions just adds to a dire list of environmental consequences brought on by the lake’s steep decline.

**********

Web Links

Shrinking Great Salt Lake Becoming Source of Heat-Trapping Gas

Photo, posted January 20, 2020, courtesy of Matthew Dillon via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A lake in Death Valley

March 14, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Death Valley in California is the driest place in North America, averaging only 2 inches of rain each year. Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America with a depth of 282 feet below sea level. Currently, Badwater Basin is the site of an ephemeral lake called Lake Manley.

The lake formed again last August after Hurricane Hilary drenched the California desert. Water levels in the lake dropped throughout the fall, but it never quite dried up. But then the relentless rains of early February filled the lake once again.

Water that gathers in Badwater Basin usually evaporates faster than it can be replenished, leaving the lakebed dry. But between the hurricane and the February storm, nearly 4 inches of rain have fallen, and the lake has stayed alive. There is a river that feeds the lake – the Amargosa – that is really flowing in the aftermath of the storms.

The lake is nearly 7 miles long and 4 miles wide, but the water is only about a foot deep. This is not the first time it has formed but it is an unusual occurrence. It formed in 2005, but only lasted about a week. Death Valley National Park officials expected that the lake would be gone by October, but it persisted into the new year which then brought the atmospheric river-driven California rainstorms.

At this point, it is unclear how long the lake in the driest place in America will be around. While it is there, visitors to the national park can enjoy beautiful views of the nearby mountains reflected in its waters.

**********

Web Links

Deep in Death Valley, a Sprawling Lake Takes Form

Photo, posted February 19, 2024, courtesy of Tom Hilton via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Great Salt Lake In Danger | Earth Wise

March 20, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Utah’s Great Salt Lake has been plagued by excessive water use and extensive drought conditions. As of January, the lake dropped to record-low water levels, losing 73% of its water and exposing 60% of its lakebed. According to scientists, the lake could disappear entirely within five years.

Great Salt Lake is what is known as a “terminal lake,” which means that it is fed only by rain, snow, and runoff and has no rivers that take water to the ocean. As a result, salt and minerals build up over time. With so much salt in the water, only brine flies and shrimp can survive in it. The unique ecosystem supports 10 million migratory birds. As the lake continues to dry up, the water is becoming too salty for even algae and microbes to survive. With shallow mud replacing previous shallow water, the nests of the 80,000 white pelicans that annually come to the lake are endangered by predators that can simply walk over to the eggs.

The historic low water levels have exposed 800 square miles of lakebed. This lakebed holds centuries of natural and manmade toxins like mercury, arsenic, and selenium. The exposed mud ultimately turns to dust that is carried off into the air. This is contributing to what is already some of the worst winter air pollution in the nation. Scientists warn that the unfolding ecological disaster may become a human health disaster.

State officials and university researchers have formed a “Great Salt Lake Strike Team” looking for ways to get more water to the lake. There are a number of so-called moonshot proposals to save the lake. It remains to be seen what will be done, but the clock is ticking.

**********

Web Links

Great Salt Lake will disappear in 5 years without massive ‘emergency rescue,’ scientists say

Scientists fear a Great Toxic Dustbowl could soon emerge from the Great Salt Lake

Photo, posted September 19, 2009, courtesy of John Morgan via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio