[csusbpeace] Utah's Great Salt Lake Could Dry Up Within 5 Years, Scientists Warn
- From: "raccoon" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ("bigraccoon1")
- To: "CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2023 18:32:47 -0800
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/great-salt-lake-drying-up_n_63b99485e4b0b2e15067fe41
Utah's Great Salt Lake Could Dry Up Within 5 Years, Scientists Warn
“The lake’s ecosystem is not only on the edge of collapse. It is collapsing,”
said one researcher.
Jan 7, 2023
Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake
<https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Salt-Lake> in the Western hemisphere,
could dry up completely within five years if water consumption is not
significantly curbed, researchers warn.
“The lake’s ecosystem is not only on the edge of collapse. It is collapsing,”
Benjamin Abbott, a professor of ecology at Brigham Young University and the
lead author of a new report on the lake, told CNN
<https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/06/us/great-salt-lake-disappearing-drought-climate/index.html>.
“The choices we make over the next few months will affect our state and
ecosystems throughout the West for decades to come.”
The lake’s levels have been at record lows for two years in a row. If the
water continues to drop at the same rate that it has since 2020, “the lake as
we know it is on track to disappear in five years,” the report states
<https://pws.byu.edu/great-salt-lake>.
In an aerial view, an area of the Great Salt Lake that was previously
underwater was completely dry on August 02, 2021 near Corinne, Utah.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
The lake has been steadily shrinking because so much water from the rivers
and streams that feed it is being redirected for human use. This is
exacerbated by the climate change-fueled megadrought that has been parching
the U.S. West for years, with less rain and snow entering the water system.
The Washington Post noted
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/06/great-salt-lake-utah-drying-up/>
that more than 70 percent of the state’s water use goes towards growing
crops to feed livestock.
The Great Salt Lake’s unique ecosystem makes it an important resource for
migratory birds
<https://www.huffpost.com/entry/great-salt-lake-low-birds_n_60f31fc6e4b0b2a04a244682>.
An estimated 10 million birds depend on the lake’s brine shrimp and flies.
It’s also an essential breeding ground for pelicans.
California gulls sit on an exposed sand bank at the Great Salt Lake on Aug.
2, 2021, near Magna, Utah.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
The lake disappearing poses hazards to human health as well. When salt lakes
dry up, their exposed beds become sources of harmful dust that pollutes the
air
<https://www.huffpost.com/entry/utah-great-salt-lake-shrinking_n_56deddd7e4b0000de405c0b8>,
and the longer the exposed bed stays dry the more dust escapes.
The Brigham Young report includes numerous recommendations for saving the
lake, including increased federal and state funding for conservation efforts,
supporting farmers to transition to crops that use less water, and expanding
programs aimed at removing turf and planting native vegetation that needs
less watering.
“We are in an all-hands-on-deck emergency, and we need farmers, counties,
cities, businesses, churches, universities, and other organizations to do
everything in their power to reduce outdoor water use,” the report states.
“We believe that our community is uniquely suited to face this challenge, but
only if we implement a unified and pioneering rescue.”
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