Rise and Fall of Great Salt Lake

October 20, 2005

What makes the level of the Great Salt Lake go up and down? Precipitation and river inflows, says USU researcher David Tarboton. The lake, which adjusts its area and evaporation outflow to balance increased inflows, reached a historic high in 1986 following the historic low of 1963.

For more information, contact David Tarboton, professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, 435-797-3172.

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