The Great Salt Lake and Iran’s Lake Urmia try to save each other
It has lost nearly 95% of its volume in the past two decades, upending what was once a thriving resort economy, a healthy brine shrimp population, crucial wildlife and bird habitat, and critical mineral extraction industries. The miles of stark, exposed lakebed threaten the millions of people who live nearby due to wind-whipped dust settling in their lungs. It’s Lake Urmia, nearly 6,900 miles away from the Great Salt Lake. But the two are now connected as efforts to save this lake deliver unique lessons as Utah grapples with a way to preserve and save its salty landmark from a similar fate.