The Great Salt Lake of the United States of America, a miracle of nature: "It is divided into a blue

Great Salt LakePhoto byGreat Salt Lake/Wikipedia

The Great Salt Lake, a sparkling expanse in Utah, United States of America, has a surprising feature. A giant railroad runs through its center, creating two distinct bodies of water with very different characteristics. On one side, a vibrant blue catches the eye, while the other side boasts a mysterious red hue.

The culprit behind this divide is the Lucin Cutoff, a 164 km railway shortcut built in the early 1900s. Before this railway, trains crossed the Promontory Mountains, which added significant distance and time to the journey. The shortcut, however, came at a cost.

Originally a wooden bridge, the railway prevented the natural flow of water into the lake. In the 1950s, the wooden bridge was replaced by a massive stone road, which further restricted the exchange of water and led to the formation of two distinct areas – north and south.

The South Arm, bathed in brilliant blue, receives a constant infusion of fresh water from three major rivers: Bear, Weber, and Jordan. This dilutes the salt content, making it much less concentrated than ocean water.

Color differencePhoto byGreat Salt Lake/Wikipedia

The North Arm, on the other hand, tells a different story. Cut off from the influx of fresh water, it became a hypersaline paradise – almost ten times saltier than the ocean. This extreme environment thrives with unique, salt-loving organisms such as Artemia – a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp or sea monkeys, nematodes and several forms of algae. These tiny creatures are responsible for the northern arm's striking red color, a striking contrast to its southern counterpart.

On the other hand, wetlands along the eastern and northern edges of the Great Salt Lake provide crucial habitats for millions of shorebirds and migratory waterfowl in western North America. These areas make up about 75% of Utah's wetlands.

The Lucin Cutoff undeniably revolutionized rail transportation, but its impact on the ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake cannot be ignored. Efforts are being made to mitigate the effects of this railway. In 2016, a breach was created under a newly built bridge, allowing some water exchange.

This is all the more important as the Great Salt Lake has shrunk dramatically since 1987 due to drought, climate change, and its surface area has dropped considerably. The lake's surface elevation has also fluctuated significantly, reaching its lowest level on record in December 2022. Without changes, scientists predict the lake could dry up by 2028, threatening local ecosystems.

Map of Great Salt LakePhoto byGreat Salt Lake/Wikipedia

Attribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake