General Information, Facts, News, Publications and Partners
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By Utah Water Science Center
July 24, 2021
The western part of the conterminous United States is often thought of as being a desert without any large bodies of water. In the desert area of western Utah, however, lies Great Salt Lake, which in 1986, at its highest level, covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons). To emphasize its size, the Great Salt Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississippi River, larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
The origin of Great Salt Lake can be traced back to ancient Lake Bonneville, which covered much of western Utah and small parts of Idaho and Nevada during the Pleistocene Epoch (commonly known as the Great Ice Age) most recently between 23,000 and 12,000 years ago. In the warmer and drier period that has followed the Ice Age, Lake Bonneville receded; the Great Salt Lake as it is seen today is a descendant of that ancient lake. The mountains that surround the lake still bear the shoreline markings of Lake Bonneville, which give the onlooker a visual appreciation of the depth and extent of the ancient lake.
General Information
- Great Salt Lake Elevations and Areal Extent - Great Salt Lake is unique among lakes in the Western Hemisphere because of its size and salt content. It occupies a low part of the desert area of western Utah and is a terminal lake with no outlet to the sea. To learn more about its rise and fall, go to Great Salt Lake Elevations and Areal Extent.
- Great Salt Lake - Fifty years of change through satellite images - Dramatic changes in lake levels are observed from satellite images for 1972-2021. To view the images, go to Great Salt Lake - Fifty years of change through satellite images.
- Deep Brine Layer - In 1959, a solid-fill railroad causeway was constructed across the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The construction of the causeway separated the lake into two parts; the north (Gunnison Bay) and the south (Gilbert Bay). To learn more about the consequences of the causeway go to Deep Brine Layer.
- Quantifying Nutrient Mass and Internal Cycling in Great Salt Lake - Habitat and aquaculture, rely on a balanced supply of nutrients in the Great Salt Lake to support phytoplankton growth and healthy brine shrimp populations. To learn more about nutrient cycling in Great Salt Lake, go to Quantifying Nutrient Mass and Internal Cycling in Great Salt Lake.
Facts
- Remnant of Ancient Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric freshwater lake that was 10 times larger than the Great Salt Lake
- Largest lake west of the Mississippi River
- Relatively shallow lake with a maximum depth of about 35 feet
- Typically, 3 to 5 times saltier than the ocean
- Too salty for fish
- Important source of brine shrimp
- Critical part of the Western North America migratory bird flyway
External Links
Below are selected publications associated with the Great Salt Lake.
Water-level and water-quality changes in Great Salt Lake, Utah, 1847-1983
The surface level of Great Salt Lake, Utah, fluctuates continuously, primarily in response to climatic factors. During 1847-1982 the lake surface fluctuated between a low of about 4,191 feet and a high of about 4,212 feet above sea level but showed no net change. From September 18, 1982, to June 30, 1983, however, the lake rose 5.2 feet-from about 4,200 to about 4,205 feet above sea level-which is
Authors
Ted Arnow
Filter Total Items: 19
Inputs and internal cycling of nitrogen to a causeway influenced, hypersaline lake, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Nitrogen inputs to Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in the western USA, were quantified relative to the resident nitrogen mass in order to better determine numeric nutrient criteria that may be considered at some point in the future. Total dissolved nitrogen inputs from four surface-water sources entering GSL were modeled during the 5-year study period (2010–2014) and ranged from 1.90 × 106 to 5.56
Authors
David L. Naftz
Effect of salinity on mercury methylating benthic microbes and their activities in Great Salt Lake, Utah
Surface water and biota from Great Salt Lake (GSL) contain some of the highest documented concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in the United States. In order to identify potential biological sources of MeHg and controls on its production in this ecosystem, THg and MeHg concentrations, rates of Hg(II)-methylation and MeHg degradation, and abundances and compositions of arc
Authors
Eric S. Boyd, Ri-Qing Yu, Tamar Barkay, Trinity L. Hamilton, Bonnie K. Baxter, David L. Naftz, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale
Calculating salt loads to Great Salt Lake and the associated uncertainties for water year 2013; updating a 48 year old standard
Effective management of surface waters requires a robust understanding of spatiotemporal constituent loadings from upstream sources and the uncertainty associated with these estimates. We compared the total dissolved solids loading into the Great Salt Lake (GSL) for water year 2013 with estimates of previously sampled periods in the early 1960s.We also provide updated results on GSL loading, quant
Authors
Christopher L. Shope, Cory E. Angeroth
Total- and methyl-mercury concentrations and methylation rates across the freshwater to hypersaline continuum of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
We examined mercury (Hg) speciation in water and sediment of the Great Salt Lake and surrounding wetlands, a locale spanning fresh to hypersaline and oxic to anoxic conditions, in order to test the hypothesis that spatial and temporal variations in Hg concentration and methylation rates correspond to observed spatial and temporal trends in Hg burdens previously reported in biota. Water column, sed
Authors
William P. Johnson, Neil Swanson, Brooks Black, Abigail Rudd, Gregory Carling, Diego P. Fernandez, John Luft, Jim Van Leeuwen, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale
Quantity and quality of groundwater discharge in a hypersaline lake environment
Geophysical and geochemical surveys were conducted to understand groundwater discharge to Great Salt Lake (GSL) and assess the potential significance of groundwater discharge as a source of selenium (Se). Continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) focusing below the sediment/water interface and fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) surveys were conducted along the south shore of GSL. FO
Authors
R.B. Anderson, D. L. Naftz, F. D. Day-Lewis, R.D. Henderson, D. O. Rosenberry, Bernard J. Stolp, P. Jewell
Monitoring change in Great Salt Lake
Despite the ecological and economic importance of Great Salt Lake, only limited water quality monitoring has occurred historically. To change this, new monitoring stations and networks—gauges of lake level height and rate of inflow, moored buoys, and multiple lake-bottom sensors—will provide important information that can be used to make informed decisions regarding future management of the Great
Authors
David L. Naftz, Cory E. Angeroth, Michael L. Freeman, Ryan C. Rowland, Gregory Carling
Estimation of selenium loads entering the south arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah, from May 2006 through March 2008
Discharge and water-quality data collected from six streamflow-gaging stations were used in combination with the LOADEST software to provide an estimate of total (dissolved + particulate) selenium (Se) load to the south arm of Great Salt Lake (GSL) from May 2006 through March 2008. Total estimated Se load to GSL during this time period was 2,370 kilograms (kg). The 12-month estimated Se load to GS
Authors
David L. Naftz, William P. Johnson, Michael L. Freeman, Kimberly Beisner, Ximena Diaz, VeeAnn A. Cross
Volatile selenium flux from the great Salt Lake, Utah
The removal mechanisms that govern Se concentrations in the Great Salt Lake are unknown despite this terminal lake being an avian habitat of hemispheric importance. However, the volatilization flux of Se from the Great Salt Lake has not been previously measured due to challenges of analysis in this hypersaline environment This paper presents results from recent field studies examining the spatial
Authors
X. Diaz, W.P. Johnson, W.A. Oliver, D. L. Naftz
Calculation of area and volume for the north part of Great Salt Lake, Utah
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, collected bathymetric data for the north part of Great Salt Lake during the spring and early summer of 2006 using a single-beam, high-definition fathometer and real-time differential global positioning system. About 5.2 million depth measurements were collected alo
Authors
Robert L. Baskin
The Younger Dryas phase of Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Field investigations at the Public Shooting Grounds (a wildlife-management area on the northeastern shore of Great Salt Lake) and radiocarbon dating show that the Great Salt Lake rose to the Gilbert shoreline sometime between 12.9 and 11.2 cal ka. We interpret a ripple-laminated sand unit exposed at the Public Shooting Grounds, and dated to this time interval, as the nearshore sediments of Great S
Authors
Charles G. Oviatt, D. M. Miller, J. P. McGeehin, C. Zachary, S. Mahan
Water Quality in the Great Salt Lake Basins, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, 1998-2001
This report contains the major findings of a 1998-2001 assessment of water quality in the Great Salt Lake Basins. It is one of a series of reports by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program that present major findings in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation.
In these reports, water quality is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issues. Cond
Authors
Kidd M. Waddell, Steven J. Gerner, Susan A. Thiros, Elise M. Giddings, Robert L. Baskin, Jay R. Cederberg, Christine M. Albano
Water quality at fixed sites in the Great Salt Lake basins, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, water years 1999-2000
The Great Salt Lake Basins (GRSL) study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment program encompasses the Bear River, Weber River, and Utah Lake/Jordan River systems, all of which discharge to Great Salt Lake in Utah. Data were collected during each month at 10 sites in the GRSL study unit from October 1998 to September 2000 to define spatial and temporal distribution and variability in concen
Authors
Steven J. Gerner
Below are USGS News Releases related to the Great Salt Lake.
Below are partners that have generously support the work on the Great Salt Lake.
The western part of the conterminous United States is often thought of as being a desert without any large bodies of water. In the desert area of western Utah, however, lies Great Salt Lake, which in 1986, at its highest level, covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons). To emphasize its size, the Great Salt Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississippi River, larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
The origin of Great Salt Lake can be traced back to ancient Lake Bonneville, which covered much of western Utah and small parts of Idaho and Nevada during the Pleistocene Epoch (commonly known as the Great Ice Age) most recently between 23,000 and 12,000 years ago. In the warmer and drier period that has followed the Ice Age, Lake Bonneville receded; the Great Salt Lake as it is seen today is a descendant of that ancient lake. The mountains that surround the lake still bear the shoreline markings of Lake Bonneville, which give the onlooker a visual appreciation of the depth and extent of the ancient lake.
General Information
- Great Salt Lake Elevations and Areal Extent - Great Salt Lake is unique among lakes in the Western Hemisphere because of its size and salt content. It occupies a low part of the desert area of western Utah and is a terminal lake with no outlet to the sea. To learn more about its rise and fall, go to Great Salt Lake Elevations and Areal Extent.
- Great Salt Lake - Fifty years of change through satellite images - Dramatic changes in lake levels are observed from satellite images for 1972-2021. To view the images, go to Great Salt Lake - Fifty years of change through satellite images.
- Deep Brine Layer - In 1959, a solid-fill railroad causeway was constructed across the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The construction of the causeway separated the lake into two parts; the north (Gunnison Bay) and the south (Gilbert Bay). To learn more about the consequences of the causeway go to Deep Brine Layer.
- Quantifying Nutrient Mass and Internal Cycling in Great Salt Lake - Habitat and aquaculture, rely on a balanced supply of nutrients in the Great Salt Lake to support phytoplankton growth and healthy brine shrimp populations. To learn more about nutrient cycling in Great Salt Lake, go to Quantifying Nutrient Mass and Internal Cycling in Great Salt Lake.
Facts
- Remnant of Ancient Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric freshwater lake that was 10 times larger than the Great Salt Lake
- Largest lake west of the Mississippi River
- Relatively shallow lake with a maximum depth of about 35 feet
- Typically, 3 to 5 times saltier than the ocean
- Too salty for fish
- Important source of brine shrimp
- Critical part of the Western North America migratory bird flyway
External Links
Below are selected publications associated with the Great Salt Lake.
Water-level and water-quality changes in Great Salt Lake, Utah, 1847-1983
The surface level of Great Salt Lake, Utah, fluctuates continuously, primarily in response to climatic factors. During 1847-1982 the lake surface fluctuated between a low of about 4,191 feet and a high of about 4,212 feet above sea level but showed no net change. From September 18, 1982, to June 30, 1983, however, the lake rose 5.2 feet-from about 4,200 to about 4,205 feet above sea level-which is
Authors
Ted Arnow
Filter Total Items: 19
Inputs and internal cycling of nitrogen to a causeway influenced, hypersaline lake, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Nitrogen inputs to Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in the western USA, were quantified relative to the resident nitrogen mass in order to better determine numeric nutrient criteria that may be considered at some point in the future. Total dissolved nitrogen inputs from four surface-water sources entering GSL were modeled during the 5-year study period (2010–2014) and ranged from 1.90 × 106 to 5.56
Authors
David L. Naftz
Effect of salinity on mercury methylating benthic microbes and their activities in Great Salt Lake, Utah
Surface water and biota from Great Salt Lake (GSL) contain some of the highest documented concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in the United States. In order to identify potential biological sources of MeHg and controls on its production in this ecosystem, THg and MeHg concentrations, rates of Hg(II)-methylation and MeHg degradation, and abundances and compositions of arc
Authors
Eric S. Boyd, Ri-Qing Yu, Tamar Barkay, Trinity L. Hamilton, Bonnie K. Baxter, David L. Naftz, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale
Calculating salt loads to Great Salt Lake and the associated uncertainties for water year 2013; updating a 48 year old standard
Effective management of surface waters requires a robust understanding of spatiotemporal constituent loadings from upstream sources and the uncertainty associated with these estimates. We compared the total dissolved solids loading into the Great Salt Lake (GSL) for water year 2013 with estimates of previously sampled periods in the early 1960s.We also provide updated results on GSL loading, quant
Authors
Christopher L. Shope, Cory E. Angeroth
Total- and methyl-mercury concentrations and methylation rates across the freshwater to hypersaline continuum of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
We examined mercury (Hg) speciation in water and sediment of the Great Salt Lake and surrounding wetlands, a locale spanning fresh to hypersaline and oxic to anoxic conditions, in order to test the hypothesis that spatial and temporal variations in Hg concentration and methylation rates correspond to observed spatial and temporal trends in Hg burdens previously reported in biota. Water column, sed
Authors
William P. Johnson, Neil Swanson, Brooks Black, Abigail Rudd, Gregory Carling, Diego P. Fernandez, John Luft, Jim Van Leeuwen, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale
Quantity and quality of groundwater discharge in a hypersaline lake environment
Geophysical and geochemical surveys were conducted to understand groundwater discharge to Great Salt Lake (GSL) and assess the potential significance of groundwater discharge as a source of selenium (Se). Continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) focusing below the sediment/water interface and fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) surveys were conducted along the south shore of GSL. FO
Authors
R.B. Anderson, D. L. Naftz, F. D. Day-Lewis, R.D. Henderson, D. O. Rosenberry, Bernard J. Stolp, P. Jewell
Monitoring change in Great Salt Lake
Despite the ecological and economic importance of Great Salt Lake, only limited water quality monitoring has occurred historically. To change this, new monitoring stations and networks—gauges of lake level height and rate of inflow, moored buoys, and multiple lake-bottom sensors—will provide important information that can be used to make informed decisions regarding future management of the Great
Authors
David L. Naftz, Cory E. Angeroth, Michael L. Freeman, Ryan C. Rowland, Gregory Carling
Estimation of selenium loads entering the south arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah, from May 2006 through March 2008
Discharge and water-quality data collected from six streamflow-gaging stations were used in combination with the LOADEST software to provide an estimate of total (dissolved + particulate) selenium (Se) load to the south arm of Great Salt Lake (GSL) from May 2006 through March 2008. Total estimated Se load to GSL during this time period was 2,370 kilograms (kg). The 12-month estimated Se load to GS
Authors
David L. Naftz, William P. Johnson, Michael L. Freeman, Kimberly Beisner, Ximena Diaz, VeeAnn A. Cross
Volatile selenium flux from the great Salt Lake, Utah
The removal mechanisms that govern Se concentrations in the Great Salt Lake are unknown despite this terminal lake being an avian habitat of hemispheric importance. However, the volatilization flux of Se from the Great Salt Lake has not been previously measured due to challenges of analysis in this hypersaline environment This paper presents results from recent field studies examining the spatial
Authors
X. Diaz, W.P. Johnson, W.A. Oliver, D. L. Naftz
Calculation of area and volume for the north part of Great Salt Lake, Utah
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, collected bathymetric data for the north part of Great Salt Lake during the spring and early summer of 2006 using a single-beam, high-definition fathometer and real-time differential global positioning system. About 5.2 million depth measurements were collected alo
Authors
Robert L. Baskin
The Younger Dryas phase of Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Field investigations at the Public Shooting Grounds (a wildlife-management area on the northeastern shore of Great Salt Lake) and radiocarbon dating show that the Great Salt Lake rose to the Gilbert shoreline sometime between 12.9 and 11.2 cal ka. We interpret a ripple-laminated sand unit exposed at the Public Shooting Grounds, and dated to this time interval, as the nearshore sediments of Great S
Authors
Charles G. Oviatt, D. M. Miller, J. P. McGeehin, C. Zachary, S. Mahan
Water Quality in the Great Salt Lake Basins, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, 1998-2001
This report contains the major findings of a 1998-2001 assessment of water quality in the Great Salt Lake Basins. It is one of a series of reports by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program that present major findings in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation.
In these reports, water quality is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issues. Cond
Authors
Kidd M. Waddell, Steven J. Gerner, Susan A. Thiros, Elise M. Giddings, Robert L. Baskin, Jay R. Cederberg, Christine M. Albano
Water quality at fixed sites in the Great Salt Lake basins, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, water years 1999-2000
The Great Salt Lake Basins (GRSL) study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment program encompasses the Bear River, Weber River, and Utah Lake/Jordan River systems, all of which discharge to Great Salt Lake in Utah. Data were collected during each month at 10 sites in the GRSL study unit from October 1998 to September 2000 to define spatial and temporal distribution and variability in concen
Authors
Steven J. Gerner
Below are USGS News Releases related to the Great Salt Lake.
Below are partners that have generously support the work on the Great Salt Lake.