Due to a year’s long drought, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has lost so much water it’s at the lowest point since it was discovered by European settlers in the 1800s, Newsweek reports.
The lake’s water level was recorded at 4,190.1 feet above sea level, the lowest level ever recorded, surpassing its previous low point calculated in October 2021. The lake, which once covered around 3,000 square miles, now only measures about 950 square miles. It is still the largest salt water lake in the Americas.
Scientists say around 42% of the loss is a result of human activity that exacerbated the impact of climate change, including redirecting fresh water springs from the watershed to feed agricultural activity and residential water supplies.