June 16, 2022 - Rapidly Shrinking Great Salt Lake

Salt lake
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The Great Salt Lake is an iconic feature of the state of Utah, U.S.A.,
creating a huge draw for tourists and local residents alike who long to
experience the buoyancy of the saline waters, to sunbathe in the sand,
to watch birds, or just generally soak in the uniqueness of a visit to
the large, life-sustaining oasis that sits in an increasingly dry
landscape. As wonderful as the lake is to experience, the health of the
lake also is a foundation of the health of a wider ecosystem. The
salinity of the lake is crucial to supporting a population of algae
that feed brine shrimp, a species critical to feeding birds that flock
to the shores during migration and breeding, as well as provide a
profitable industry to humans who sell the shrimp and eggs
commercially. On a broader scale, the water in the lake contributes to
the winter snowpack in the Wasatch Mountains, and that snowpack is
vital to the well-being of agriculture and human life in the
increasingly-populated valley.

The description published on the website of the Utah Department of
Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources probably sums up the
importance of the Great Salt Lake best, “The ecology of the lake is an
extraordinary example of the rich web of relationships between people,
land, water, food and survival. The 15,000 square miles of various
water environments, remote islands and shorelines, with 400,000 acres
of wetlands, provide habitat for plants, brine shrimp, reptiles,
amphibians, mammals, shorebirds and waterfowl. Birds rely on the lake,
a critical link in the Pacific Flyway between North and South America.
Every year 10 million birds from 338 different species come to rest,
eat and breed during migrations of a thousand miles or more. With the
decline of other lakes, GSL is increasingly important to these
species.”

Unfortunately, the Great Salt Lake is in trouble.

Increasing diversion of the water of three rivers feeding the lake for
human use and agricultural purposes means less inflow to the lake.
Increasingly warm climate and a long-standing drought mean more water
evaporating from the lake, which increases salinity as well as shrinks
the size of the lake. Shrinking size means more dry lake bed, which
contains high levels of arsenic and other toxic materials, is exposed
and available to be lofted into the air as dust. A shrinking lake also
means less water available to form precious winter snowpack, which
impacts the welfare of humans who depend on water from the mountains
and also impacts the ability of the Great Salt Lake to refresh from
melting snowpack. Increasing salinity means that the lake water will
become unlivable for many species of algae, which may cause brine
shrimp to disappear. The U.S. Drought monitor on June 9, 2022, shows
that 100 percent of Utah is in at least severe drought, with roughly 90
percent of the state in Extreme or Exceptional drought. “Exceptional
drought” is the U.S. Drought monitor’s highest level of drought. They
do not measure anything greater.

On July 23, 2021, the Great Salt Lake in Utah reached its lowest water
level on record when the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge at the
Saltair boat harbor at the southern end of the lake recorded the
average daily level at 4,191.3 feet (1,277.5 meters) above sea level,
the lowest mark since measurements began in 1875. The previous low was
set in 1963. The Utah Division of Water Resources stated another record
low was reached on October 15-18, 2021, when the water level dropped to
4,190.2 feet (1,277.2 meters). They expected the lake to experience a
new low in the summer of 2022.

They didn't have to wait that long.

On June 15, 2022, the USGS website reports that the gauge at the
Saltair boat harbor measured 4,186.80 feet. (1,276.1 meters).

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the Great Salt
Lake on June 15, 2022. The color difference between the two end of the
lake is caused by a railroad line that runs across the lake, which
obstructs normal mixing of lake water. The northern section is much
saltier than the southern section (28 percent vs. 6-27 percent,
respectively). Different species of algae live in the more saline North
Arm than in the South Arm and this species difference is reflected in
the color.

To truly appreciate change over time, it is necessary to compare
different images acquired by the same instrument on different days.
Thanks to the NASA Worldview App, it is simple to create roll-over
comparisons between two Terra MODIS images, one acquired on June 15,
2022, and one acquired only a few days short of two years earlier, on
June 24, 2020. To interact with the image, simply click on the arrow
(or in the box) and scroll back and forth. The difference in such a
short time is easily visible, and quite sobering.

IFRAME:
https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/?v=-118.12729801252365,38.4969
2300407783,-108.29799782404092,43.8105028549229&l1=Reference_Labels_15m
(hidden),Reference_Features_15m(hidden),Coastlines_15m,VIIRS_NOAA20_Cor
rectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),VIIRS_SNPP_CorrectedReflectance_Tru
eColor(hidden),MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_
Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor&ca=false&cv=56&t=2000-06-24-T20%3A
11%3A44Z&t1=2022-06-15-T20%3A11%3A44Z&em=true

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 6/15/2022
Resolutions: 1km (128.4 KB), 500m (333.9 KB), 250m (221.2
KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-16

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