Rising temperatures are contributing to the Great Salt Lake’s decline » Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

The briny waters of Utah’s Great Salt Lake fluctuate up and down from year to year.

But in general, lake levels have been dropping over the past few decades. And in 2022, the lake hit its lowest level since measurements began in 1847.

Loikith: “This was the lowest that has been recorded going back during this fairly long record, so it was quite notable.”

Paul Loikith of Portland State University and his colleagues investigated why the lake dropped so low.

They found that most of the drop resulted from reduced streamflow into the lake. But warmer temperatures also caused more water to evaporate out of the lake.

Siiri Bigalke, a doctoral student at Portland State, led the new study.

Bigalke: “The record low in 2022 would not have been set without an increasing trend in evaporation.”

As the climate warms, that trend is likely to continue.

But streamflow can be affected by a range of factors, from precipitation to human activities. So predicting lake levels in a warming climate is hard.

The Great Salt Lake hosts millions of migratory birds and even helps form lake-effect snow over Utah’s ski resorts.

So knowing how lake levels might change will be vital.

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media