Saline lakes around the world are shrinking in size at alarming rates. Lakes like Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Asia’s Aral Sea, the Dead Sea in Jordan and Israel, China’s huge Lop Nur and Bolivia’s Lake Popo are just a few that are in peril. These lakes and others like them are suffering massive environmental problems according to a group of scientists and water managers in Utah and Montana. Saline lakes are critically important for wildlife, industry, and human health. They provide habitat for migrating birds,
minerals for extractive industries, and recreational opportunities, all of which are economically important. The Great Salt Lake, for example, has an economic value of $1.32 billion per year. When full, saline lakes protect nearby residents from dust storms created by the dry lakebeds. This dust causes asthma and other respiratory diseases as demonstrated after the desiccation of the Aral Sea and California’s Owens Lake. READ MORE
