Great Salt Lake Faces Severe Resource Strain Due to Megadrought and Climate Change
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How it started
What happened
Northern Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere, is rapidly disappearing and may be gone within a few years. Since 1850, the lake has lost 73 percent of its water and 60 percent of its surface area. The decline is attributed to climate change and a megadrought considered the worst in at least 1,200 years. In response, the state legislature has passed laws to help increase the lake’s water levels and earmark more funding for water conservation programs.
Why it matters
The lake contributes approximately $1.3 billion annually to Utah’s GDP through the mining, aquaculture, and recreation industries. This decline is critical because 80 percent of Utah’s population relies on the lake’s watershed. Officials are currently considering large-scale projects to restore the desiccated landscape.
How it developed
Newest first. Tap a step to see who reported it.- Shrinking Great Salt Lake impacts global aquaculture industry; survey collaborates on lakebed mapping project.Sub-event
- Iran's ecological failure in Lake Urmia is used to warn about the resource strain on the Great Salt Lake.Sub-event
- The University of Utah, including Sara Grineski, led a study researching the impacts of the Great Salt Lake's decline.Sub-event
- New state law in Utah protects xeric landscaping choices amidst hot, dry summer conditions affecting the Great Salt Lake.Sub-event
Megadrought and climate change are stressing the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and its surrounding resource management.1 source