Record-breaking drought conditions are shrinking the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which in turn is threatening wildlife habitats and other facets of the regional ecosystem.
Gov. Spencer Cox is calling on his constituents to “pray for rain” as the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River is expected to reach a 170-year low this year.
“A lot of us have been talking about the lake as flatlining,” says Lynn de Freitas, executive director of Friends of the Great Salt Lake.
Like much of the American West, things are dry as a bone in Utah and other water sources such as drinking water reservoirs are also struggling. If rain does not come soon, there is no telling how bad things could get.
Pelicans rely on the Great Salt Lake as a natural habitat, as do millions of other birds that are now at risk of losing their home. The dust that remains is also a problem as it contains naturally occurring arsenic, which whips around the valley every time there are substantial winds.
“More dry lakebed getting exposed could send arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions breathe,” warns the Associated Press (AP).
“It blows through a region that already has some of the dirtiest wintertime air in the country because of seasonal geographic conditions that trap pollution between the mountains.”
Astoundingly, the dry, gravelly lakebed around the Great Salt Lake has expanded by some 750 square miles over the years. The silver lining is that the newly exposed crust is tough, however, researchers are unsure how long it will stay that way.
“We’ve never had an April lake level that was as low as it was this year,” laments Kevin Perry, a University of Utah atmospheric scientist.
No comments:
Post a Comment