Researchers at the University of Utah are examining the dramatic changes and ongoing challenges facing the Great Salt Lake, as water levels have dropped to historic lows, according to a June 2 report from the College of Science. The lake reached its lowest recorded elevation in 2022, resulting in significant environmental impacts across northern Utah.
The article outlines how Farmington Bay, once submerged under more than five feet of water, is now largely dry except for where it meets the Jordan River. The lake has diminished by 2,350 square miles since its peak—an area larger than Delaware—and many residents are hoping for recovery. “Devastating outcomes like the Aral Sea’s should serve as a warning. When a natural resource is depleted to exhaustion, something else in that system collapses,” University of Utah researchers said.
Gabriel Bowen, chair of the Department of Geology & Geophysics at the university, studies sedimentation patterns that reveal human influence on the lake since settlers arrived in 1847. His research indicates increased organic matter from agricultural runoff following large-scale irrigation projects by early Mormon settlers. Additional infrastructure such as railroads further altered water flow and salinity between different parts of the lake.
Despite extreme salinity—particularly in the North Arm where salt concentrations reach around 330 grams per liter—the lake continues to support life forms such as brine shrimp and brine flies. In 2024, postdoctoral researcher Julie Jung and assistant professor Michael Werner discovered a new species of nematode living within microbialites on the lakebed; this environment represents one of the highest known saline habitats for nematodes.
The exposed playa presents serious environmental risks due to dust emissions containing high levels of particulate matter and arsenic exceeding Environmental Protection Agency recommendations by tenfold. Atmospheric sciences professor Kevin Perry is investigating methods to stabilize these sediments using restored crusts formed with applied water—potentially sourced from freshwater found beneath parts of the dried lakebed by geology professors Bill Johnson and Michael Zhdanov through electromagnetic surveys.
A collaborative effort called Team Great Salt Lake—including university faculty members William Anderegg, John Lin, Johnson, Perry, Court Strong; state leaders; and researchers from Utah State University—is focused on combining data with policy recommendations aimed at restoring inflows into the lake. The group emphasizes that returning water levels to healthier historical averages will require major investment but would yield benefits including improved air quality and habitat preservation.
