The Great Salt Lake, located in Utah, is at risk of drying up as it hits its second year in a row with historically low water levels. The lowering levels have also exposed 800 square miles of the lakebed containing soils contaminated with toxic compounds and heavy metals. The soil will turn into dried dust if the lake water evaporates, a potential phenomenon that CNN has named the "Great Toxic Dustbowl."
"This is an ecological disaster that will become a human health disaster," director of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College Bonnie Baxter told CNN. "We know about dust storms, we know about particulate pollution, we know about heavy metals and how they're bad for humans."
The lake is solely filled by rain, snow, and runoff and does not have any connection to the ocean. Because the water does not flow elsewhere, salt and sediment build over time with nowhere else to go, giving the lake its saltiness. As a result, President Biden signed a bill designating $25 million to research salt lakes and "assess, monitor, and benefit the hydrology of saline lakes in the Great Basin," per Axios.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scientists say that the lake can be saved, but it will require extensive effort. "Science provides crucial perspective, understanding, and scenarios for policymakers to chart a path forward," says a report by a team of researchers called the Great Salt Lake Strike Team. "Many policy levers can help return the lake to healthy levels."
"We have to get more water to the lake," said Brian Steed, co-chair of the strike team and executive director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air. "For a long time, I don't think that people were sufficiently talking for the lake."
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th testspeed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
NASA is moving away from tracking climate changeThe Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?The Explainer Human extinction could potentially give rise to new species and climates
-
Bacteria can turn plastic waste into a painkillerUnder the radar The process could be a solution to plastic pollution
