Shrinking Salton Sea drives rising dust threat in Southern California, study finds
As aggressive water conservation, agricultural recycling, and water transfers reduce the flow of runoff into California’s largest lake, receding shoreline waters are exposing broad swathes of dry lakebed — exposing local residents to new airborne health risks. A study led by University of California, Riverside researchers for the California Institute for Water Resources provides crucial baseline chemical profiling of dust emerging from the exposed Salton Sea lakebed, known as playa. The research underscores how shifting water management practices in Southern California are directly impacting regional air quality in a basin that already fails to meet state and national standards. … The team’s analysis revealed distinct chemical fingerprints distinguishing lakebed dust from traditional desert soil.
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