Starved for freshwater, the Great Salt Lake is getting saltier. The lake is losing sources of freshwater input to agriculture, urban growth, and drought. According to Wayne Wurtsbaugh from Watershed Sciences in the Quinney College of Natural Resources, this drawdown in freshwater is causing salt con
Deciphering the ecological and economic consequences of this change is complex and unprecedented. Experts are closely observing Lake Urmia in Iran — another stressed saline lake — for clues on what to expect next. According to new research from Wurtsbaugh and Somayeh Sima from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, this “sister lake” offers obvious, and troubling, parallels to the fate of the Great Salt Lake.
Over the decades, expanding urban populations in northern Utah have claimed more freshwater for crops, lawns, and faucets, putting gradually intensifying stress on the ecosystem. Now a 20-year drought is pushing salinity levels further towards untenable levels, Wurtbaugh said. The Great Salt Lake and Lake Urmia in Iran were once remarkably similar in size, depth, salinity, and geographic setting. High rates of urban growth there also fueled demand for irrigated agriculture and human uses, putting extreme stress on the ecosystem. Compared to the Great Salt Lake, the fate of Lake Urmia is on fast-forward.
An aerial photo shows the West Crack Breach in the Great Salt Lake’s railroad causeway. USU researchers modeled and tested a modification to the berm here to rebalance salinity in separate portions of the lake amid drought conditions. Credit: USU/Som Dutta and Brian Crookston
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