This story was originally Appeared in high country news is part of climate desk collaboration.
Last summer, NOAA scientists observed dust billowing 130 kilometers away from Lake Abbert and Summer Lake, two dried-up salt lakes in southern Oregon. This has happened before. Saline lake beds are some of the most important dust sources in the West. California’s Owens Lake is the largest U.S. source of PM10, a small pollutant found in dust and smoke, and in Salt Lake City, volcanic plumes erupt from 800 square miles of the Great Salt Lake’s bare riverbed. , causing toxin-filled sandstorms.
Salt lakes are rapidly losing water due to climate change and agricultural and urban use, making them some of the most threatened ecosystems in the West. New legislation now provides some support. On December 27, President Joe Biden signed into the bipartisan Salt Lake Ecosystems of the Great Basin National Planning Act allocating his $25 million in funding for research and monitoring in salt lakes across the Great Basin. This funding is an important step, but it cannot provide what the lake really needs: more water.
The inland west is full of salt lakes, formed by the accumulation of meltwater in the valley floors of the Basin and Ranges region. Since there is no outflow in the valley, the water remains until it evaporates, leaving behind suspended particles. These accumulate over time and increase the salinity of the lake.
Ryan Houston, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association, which works to conserve Oregon’s high deserts, including Summer Lake and Lake Abbert, said: .
However, this balance of runoff, salinity, and evaporation makes salt lakes highly susceptible to climate change. Less snow cover and more evaporation due to warmer temperatures means lakes are getting less watery and more salinity. This stresses shrimp and flies that have adapted to specific salinity over time, exposing dry lakebeds and creating dangerous dust storms.
Over the decades, conversion to agriculture and urban use has taken away the lake’s water. For example, California’s Owens Lake has almost completely dried up for nearly his century since the water was diverted to Los Angeles. A report released this month by Utah scientists and conservation groups warns that the combination of water diversion and climate change is pushing the Great Salt Lake to disappear within five years of her.
Many see poor air quality as the main reason for saving the lake. But the dust is a sign that entire ecosystems are dying, and the saltwater lake is a major stop on the Pacific Flyway, a migratory bird route that stretches from Alaska to Chilean Patagonia. “Our concern about dust indicates that Lake Abbert has already passed the point of losing its most important ecological value as part of the Pacific His flyway. ‘ said Houston. More than 80 species of birds inhabit or migrate to Lake Abbert, and 338 species depend on Great Salt He Lake.
