Is the Great Salt Lake drying increasing greenhouse gas emissions? What does the new study reveal?
Great Salt Lake. According to a recent study that was published in One Earth, 4.1 million tons of greenhouse gasses, including CO2, were emitted in 2020 by the lake's exposed bed.This research indicates that these kinds of lake bottoms may contribute significantly—perhaps much more than previously thought—to global warming, as per the reports of MSN.
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Impact of lake desiccation
The Great Salt Lake's human-caused drying out has exposed a sizable portion of the lake bed, the study suggests. There has been a significant atmospheric emission of greenhouse gasses as a result of this exposure. As the exposed sediments are rich in organic matter and are broken down by bacteria, Soren Brothers, a curator of climate change at the Royal Ontario Museum and co-author of the study, noted that this contributes significantly to CO2 emissions. In comparison to when the lake is full, the emissions are noticeably higher during the summer.
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Environmental and health effects
The 1,700 square mile Great Salt Lake is experiencing a number of negative consequences due to its diminishing water levels. Because there is less water available, there is more dust and other pollutants in the air, which is bad for the quality of the air and causes respiratory
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