#Nasa picture of the day bear lake full#

Like much of the American West, rainfall has also been sparse here for the past two years. Snowfall was modest to deficient in many areas last winter, and recent research showed that snow cover in the mountains around the Great Salt Lake melts at least a week earlier now than 20 years ago. The low lake levels are due to recent trends in precipitation and long-term trends in consumption by humans. With this week’s historic low, it spans about 950 square miles, a 44 percent loss of surface area.

#Nasa picture of the day bear lake full#

When full to its historic average level of 4,200 feet (1280 meters), the lake spreads across 1,700 square miles. The lake is divided by a causeway for the Union Pacific Railroad.Īccording to water elevation data from USGS (plotted above), the Great Salt Lake stood at 4191.0 feet (1277.4 meters) as of August 12, 2021. (Landsat also acquired images of the southern end of the lake during a similar dry spell in 2016.)Īccording to USGS, water levels in the southern part of the lake are usually a bit higher than the northern half because more tributaries flow into the southern section. Note, too, the depletion of water in Clyman Bay and Bear River Bay. Orange-brown areas along the edges of the lake indicate shallow water, while bright tan and white fringes suggest newly exposed portions of the lakebed.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired images (above) of the north end of the Great Salt Lake on July 29, 2017, and July 24, 2021. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge at the Saltair boat harbor at the southern end of the lake recorded the average daily level at 4191.3 feet (1277.5 meters) above sea level, the lowest mark since measurements began in 1875.

In late July 2021, the Great Salt Lake in Utah reached its lowest water level on record, and it has continued dropping since then.