The college of natural resources is at Utah State University.
The Great Salt Lake is getting salty. The lake is losing sources of freshwater input to agriculture, urban growth, and is causing salt concentrations to spike beyond the tolerance of brine shrimp and brine flies.
Deciphering the ecological and economic consequences of this change is complex and unprecedented and experts are watching another stressed lake for clues on what to expect next. There are parallels to the fate of the Great Salt Lake in this lake.
Both lakes have a similar history but at different speeds. Natural salts become more concentrated in the water as less freshwater moves through rivers and streams. Brine flies and brine shrimp can tolerate salt, but when it gets too much, they can struggle. Millions of migratory birds will struggle, starve, or leave because of this.
Over the decades, expanding urban populations in northern Utah have claimed more freshwater for crops and lawns.
The Great Salt Lake is divided into two parts by a causeway. The northern arm of the lake is now the saltiest with levels at saturation. A transfer of salt into the north arm has allowed the south arm to stay at a concentration range that allows brine shrimp and brine flies to thrive. salinities in the south are getting more and more stressed out.
The Great Salt Lake and Lake Urmia in Iran used to be the same. Demand for agriculture and human uses in the city put extreme stress on the environment. The fate of Lake Urmia is very similar to that of the Great Salt lake.
The amount of salt in the water jumped from 190 grams to 350 grams over the course of 20 years. The ocean water has a salty content of 35 grams per liter. There has been a decline in the lake's ecology. Brine shrimp has been lost. The south arm of the Great Salt Lake has high salt concentrations but still sustains some shrimp.
Gilbert Bay in the north arm of Great Salt Lake has reached an astounding 330 grams per liter (27%) salt, and brine shrimp there are almost absent. Shrimp harvest in the south arm is in danger. Brine shrimp like salt levels between 75 and 160 grams per liter. When things are so over-the-top, brine fly species start to feel the pinch.
The brine fly gets smaller at higher salt levels. The collapse of these two organisms could have dire consequences for migratory bird populations and the economics of the lake.
Managers still have the ability to regulate the flow of salt from the north to the south with an underwater berm. The flow is used to manage the needs of competing companies. Even if water development and climate change cause further losses in water levels, that option will be limited.
The authors say that the Great Salt Lake has not yet crossed the precipice that Lake Urmia has already crossed. The crises at Great Salt Lake and Lake Urmia are not unique, and other lakes around the world are facing similar crises. Communities are noticing and giving him hope. If the lakes are to be sustained, the water users will have to give up a lot.
There is a study in the journal.
More information: Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh et al, Contrasting Management and Fates of Two Sister Lakes: Great Salt Lake (USA) and Lake Urmia (Iran), Water (2022). DOI: 10.3390/w14193005 Provided by S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University
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