Utah's Great Salt Lake, hit another new low, a sign of the mega-drought caused by climate change that is plaguing the western United States. Surface elevation has dipped to 4,190.1 feet exceeding the previous low set in October. The shrinking saline lake, the largest in North America, poses a threat to the survival of migratory birds and humans. Scientists say winds blowing over the drying lakebed could transport dust containing arsenic, which humans could breath. There are economic impacts as well since the natural feature supports tourism, brine shrimp, and recreation industries. Water has been pumped out of the lake for years to supply a growing population in the country's fastest growing state. It is likely that the lake will shrink further until winter rains replenish some of the water loss.
On the other side of the globe, Sydney, Australia is experiencing the worst flooding in living memory. Four flooding events have occurred this year. Torrential rain is responsible for the devastation. Some areas in the Sydney metropolis have received as much as 59 inches in twenty-four hours, near the average rainfall mark for an entire year along the NSW coast. The worst flooding was along the Hawksbury-Nepean river system, north and west of Sydney. [Windsor, NSW photo credit: AP]The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is home to 134,000 people and that population was projected to double by 2050 as Sydney’s population and real estate prices grow, a key economic driver retarding effective flood control measures, according to a local university professor of environment. Evacuation orders were given to 50,000 people on Monday.