Great Salt Lake: May disappear in a few years and become a Great Toxic Dustbowl

It happens slowly. People hardly notice.

We refer to the drought of the Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It is located in Utah, in the United States, next to its capital and most populous city, Salt Lake City, with a population of just over 200,000 inhabitants , although the lake impacts the lives of around 2.5 million people.

The city was founded in 1847, when the atmospheric concentration of CO2 was 285 ppm. By 2022 it had risen to 419 ppm (preliminary data, Mauna Loa Observatory). As a reference, the concentration was ≈277 ppm at 1750 .

In 1987, Great Salt Lake covered 8,550 square km. As of July 2022, about 2,460 square km.

That's why on January 6, CNN published an article titled "Great Salt Lake will disappear in 5 years without massive 'emergency rescue,' scientists say" . And now on February 10th "Scientists fear a Great Toxic Dustbowl could soon emerge from the Great Salt Lake" .

Without a "dramatic increase" in water flow by 2024, experts warn the lake could disappear. According to the Department of Public Utilities, more than 60 percent of Salt Lake City's drinking water comes from nearby mountains. But in the summer months, the water is supplemented with deep wells from the Salt Lake Valley.

In addition, being a "salt" lake, it contains centuries of natural and man-made toxins, such as mercury, arsenic and selenium, and when the mud turns to dust, it will turn into a "Great Toxic Dustbowl". An ecological disaster that will become a disaster for human health, according to the CNN article.

Nomads again?

Remember this post from 2022 "Climate changes in geological time". Here's an excerpt “... around 10 thousand BCE, people across completely disconnected communities, began to built communal settlements. This was the beginning of what we now call Civilisation.” … “Around that time, the atmosphere entered a period of stability with an average temperature that was just right for humans” … “This period was special. And brief. In fact, it represents just 6% of the time that humans have been walking the Earth. But people in the modern era have assumed this to be normal.”

Also see again the post "About pollution, wood and others in England in 1833 and 1847". And download the unique and exclusive slides that we make available. Until now. Part of it was presented at Campus Party Brasil 2022.