The Great Salt Lake Desert

The Great Salt Lake Desert is located in North Western Utah. Desert biomes comprise about one fifth of the Earth’s surface. Additionally, there are different types of desert biomes. There are hot and cold deserts, semiarid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts (1). For this project, I will be focusing on the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah. This desert belongs to a temperate desert region (4).  Some common characteristics of deserts are high day temperatures that can reach more than 38 degrees Celsius and temperatures as low as -3.9 Celsius at night (2). Historically, the Great Salt Lake Desert was part of Lake Bonneville (5). Lake Bonneville has long since dried up. When the lake evaporated, it left behind salt sediments. These salt sediments are what are now known as the Bonneville Flats.

             

 

What are Salt Flats?

            Salt flats are formed from dried up lakes. In this case, the Bonneville Flats were formed from the Pleistocene era Bonneville lake (5). The lakes in these regions have high salinity levels. The Salt Lake that is in this region is the second lake with the highest salt levels (6). It is also the only protected part of this region. The salinity levels of the lake are decreasing drastically, as a result the Brine shrimp that are harvested are also decreasing in numbers (6). This affects the farmers who sell the shrimp. A high amount of soil salts affects the intake of precipitation by plants (4). Therefore, it is very hard for certain plants to grow due to the high level of soil salts. According to the article Soil as a Factor Influencing Plant Distribution on Salt-Deserts of Utah, the dominant types of plant in a Salt Desert region are shrub vegetations such as, Artemisia and Atriplex (4). This type of biome is found in North Western Utah, Colorado, and parts of the Middle East. Additionally, shrub vegetation is the most common in salt deserts because of the sediment that exists in shallow seas.

      

The Bonneville Salt Flats

The Bonneville Salt Flats are now a popular tourist site. Long automobile records were set and are still broken to this day. Additionally, tourists also like to partake on hikes, trail walks, and picnic in the picnic areas.  Not only is this region used for recreational purposes, but it is also used by the Montello Salt Company. The company gathers and processes common salt from this region. They process about two tons of salt from this region. Currently, anyone is allowed to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats. There are no regulations protecting the crust of the soil.

Human Impacts

            The current human impact on the Salt Lake desert is good, for now. The USGS Global Climate Program in Utah is focusing on how human activity and climate change affects the lake, vegetation, and land surface (7). Utah in particular, is more susceptible to human and climate changes because it is located on important climatic gradient. Utah is composed of Arid and Semiarid region thus, making it susceptible to human activity and climate changes. The study of this program is being done on the soil crust. The soil crust is composed of different types of bacteria such as mosses, lichens, and “cyanobacteria” (7). The soil crust is the key to soil stability, water infiltration, and soil fertility. The sticky surfaces of soil crusts “glue together” thus, making their surfaces larger and less susceptible to wind and water erosion (7). Soil crusts also play a big role in water retention. The organisms in the soil absorb water up to ten times their size and when the rain stops, they slowly release the water into the ground (8). Additionally, the organisms in the soil contribute nitrogen and organic matter to the ecosystems. Humans have had a negative impact on the cyanobacteria in the soil. The cyanobacterial fibers do not stand a chance against the hooves of cattle, the vehicles that drive off road, nor the regular treading by humans. If damaged, the crusts could take up to two hundred and fifty years to recover (8).

Possible Solutions

The USGS advises staying on designated roads when biking as well as driving. They also advise to stay on slickrock whenever possible. People should not attempt to jump over fences because they have been put there to prevent further damage (8). It is also advised to camp only at designated camp sites, under trees, or on sandy beaches. When hiking, it is advised to stay on the designated hiking trails. What I think we should do is to raise awareness. Before this project, I did not realize how important dirt was. I never knew that the organisms in dirt could prevent erosion or soil sediments. I believe if there were programs in the K-12 schools that taught children about the important of soil, more people would think twice before breaking rules. Also, I think that state parks that have damaged soil should just close down until the soil has recovered. If we do not follow these simple suggestions, we could have another dust bowl which would mean a drastic decrease in our food supplies and not to mention the severe health consequences.

Works Cited

1.      Ingles, Lloyd G. "The Desert Biome." The Desert Biome. University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2004. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/deserts.php>.

2.      Przyborski, Paul. "Desert : Mission: Biomes." Desert : Mission: Biomes. NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biodesert.php>.

3.      Boudreau, Diane, Melissa McDaniel, Erin Sprout, and Andrew Turgeon. "Desert." National Geographic Education. Ed. Jeannie Evers and Kara West. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/desert/?ar_a=1>.

4.      West, N. E. Intermountain Salt-Desert Shrubland (n.d.): 375-97. JSTOR. JSTOR. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://www.gis.usu.edu/~doug/frws3800/readings/CH14.pdf>.

5.      Hallaran, Kevin B. "Bonneville Salt Flats." Historytogo. Utah History To Go, 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/the_land/bonnevillesaltflats.html>.

6.      Stephens, Doyle W., and Joe Gardner. "Great Salt Lake, Utah." USGS Science for Changing. USGS, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri994189/PDF/WRI99-4189.pdf>.

7.      "Effects of Causeway on the Great Salt Lake." Utah. USGS, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/FS-046-99/pdf/fs-046-99.pdf>.

8.      Belnap, Jayne. "Biological Soils Crusts: The Web of Life in the Desert." USGS Science for Changing the World. USGS, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. <http://fresc.usgs.gov/products/fs/fs-065-01.pdf>.