A worrying study published Last month in environmental challenges It is claimed that nearly two-thirds of the Great Salt Lake's shrinkage is due to human use of river water that would otherwise help replenish the lake.
Utah's Great Salt Lake is a relic of the once vast lake that occupied the same area during the Ice Age. The lake's level has fluctuated since then. Measurement It was started in 1847 but is approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) long, 35 miles (56 km) wide, and has a maximum depth of 33 feet (10 meters). The water level in the Great Salt Lake reached a certain level. record low In 2021, which is usurp the following year
According to recent reports, about 62% of the river water that would otherwise fill the lake has been used for Instead, the research team found that agricultural use cases are responsible for 71% of human-caused losses. In addition, approximately 80% of agricultural water is used for crops to feed cattle. Only one million
“The research highlights the alarming role that livestock grazing plays in driving rapid lake depletion,” said William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University and co-author of the study. say release–
Lake is no stranger to change. One Utah State University report This indicates that the lake's water level has decreased since the mid-19th century, according to the United States Geological Survey. Utah Water Science Center Report: The rifting of the lake beside the railroad highway in 1959 significantly altered the salinity levels in the newly created lake. and because the water source does not have a river flowing out or flowing in The water level therefore changes greatly due to evaporation or heavy rain.
“The unusually large snowmelt inflows of the 1980s and 1990s temporarily masked long-term declines in lake levels. And the lake reached its highest level in more than a century in 1987,” Ripple said, “but has dropped an average of about 4 inches per year since then.”
Researchers propose a goal of reducing human use of river water in the area by 35% to begin recharging the lake. Including details of specific reductions in animal feed production.
“We found that the most potential solution involved a 61% reduction in alfalfa production along with a 26-55% reduction in hay production,” the team wrote, “resulting in lower agricultural incomes. by $97 million per year, or 0.04% of the state's GDP,” the team added that Utahns could receive compensation for lost income. It's a plan that's easier to present on paper than to actually sell people on it. But it is a path to restoring the Great Salt Lake.
As the team added The lake supports 9,000 direct jobs and $2.5 billion in economic output. This comes primarily from mining, recreation, and brine shrimp fishing. Exposed salt lake bottom (This is because the Great Salt Lake's water content increases as the water level decreases.) It is also relevant that dust may pose a health risk due to its effects on the human respiratory system.
For now, the average level and volume of the Great Salt Lake continues to decline. But the team's research has revealed specific pain points and suggests ways to reduce stress on this large but dwindling body of water.