Images related to Salt Lake Water Woes

Algae in Great Salt Lake
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Algae in Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake of northern Utah is a remnant of glacial Lake Bonneville that extended over much of present-day western Utah and into the neighboring states of Nevada and Idaho approximately 32,000 to 14,000 years ago. The north arm of the lake, displayed in this astronaut photograph from April 30, 2007, typically has twice the salinity of the rest of the lake due to impoundment of water by a railroad causeway that crosses the lake from east to west. The causeway restricts water flow, and the separation has led to a striking division in the types of algae and bacteria found in the north and south arms of the lake.

Published Jul 16, 2007

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Lake Natron, Tanzania
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Lake Natron, Tanzania

If Lake Natron, in Africa’s Great Rift Valley, had a color theme, it would be pink. The alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is often colored red or pink by the salt-loving microorganisms that live there. Also, the lake is the only breeding area for the 2.5 million Lesser Flamingoes that live in the valley. These flamingoes flock along saline lakes in the region, where they feed on Spirulina, a blue-green algae with red pigments. This mosaic of photographs of the southern portion of Lake Natron shows the largest open lagoon area, and island mud flat, and a large area of pink salt crust. The colors show the actual colors viewed by the astronauts. Each time the lake is photographed, there are differences in the pattern of its salt crust, and the red colors of the blue-green algae and bacteria on the surface of the crust.

Published Apr 10, 2006

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Lake Eyre Floods, South Australia
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Lake Eyre Floods, South Australia

Lake Eyre did something in 2011 that it doesn’t do very often: it took on new water.

Published Dec 19, 2011

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Effect of Drought on Great Salt Lake
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Effect of Drought on Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake serves as a striking visual marker for astronauts orbiting over North America. A sharp line across its center is caused by the restriction in water flow from the railroad causeway. The eye-catching colors of the lake stem from the fact that Great Salt Lake is hypersaline, typically 3–5 times saltier than the ocean, and the high salinities support sets of plants and animals that affect the light-absorbing qualities of the water. Space Station astronauts have recorded the decline in lake levels in response to a regional 5-year drought taking both detailed views and broad views of the entire lake. As lake levels have declined the salt works have become islands in the middle of a dry lakebed.

Published Jan 19, 2004

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Disappearing Walker Lake
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Disappearing Walker Lake

Like this lake in northwestern Nevada, many of the world’s prominent salt lakes are drying up.

Published Apr 4, 2018

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Lake Sambhar
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Lake Sambhar

The wet and dry seasons bring two distinct but colorful looks to this wetland in the Thar Desert.

Published Jun 14, 2019

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Visualizing the Highs and Lows of Lake Mead
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Visualizing the Highs and Lows of Lake Mead

In May 2016, the reservoir behind Hoover Dam reached its lowest level since the 1930s.

Published May 27, 2016

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Rare Filling of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
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Rare Filling of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Floodwaters have worked their way through a series of parched channels, watering holes, and lagoons to start filling the iconic Australian lake.

Published May 28, 2019

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Shrinking Lake Chapala
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Shrinking Lake Chapala

Published Sep 14, 2003

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Brightening Lake Elton
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Brightening Lake Elton

Satellite data suggests this Russian salt lake is getting brighter due to the installation of check dams.

Published Dec 3, 2014

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Mono Lake, California
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Mono Lake, California

Published Jan 13, 2008

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Red Lake Urmia
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Red Lake Urmia

When the water gets saltier in Iran’s largest lake, the microscopic inhabitants can turn the water dark red.

Published Jul 26, 2016

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