The Great Salt Dustbowl: the Impacts of a Drying Ecosystem

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Publication Type honors thesis
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Environmental & Sustainability Studies
Faculty Mentor Andrew Hoffmann
Creator Quackenbush, Cameron
Title The Great Salt Dustbowl: the Impacts of a Drying Ecosystem
Date 2019
Description The Salt Lake Valley faces a dire environmental situation: the drying of the Great Salt Lake (GSL). As state and local water authorities push forward with plans to further dam and divert the single largest input to the GSL, it is crucial to acknowledge the implications of a drying lake bed for the Wasatch Front. As the GSL is not just one ecosystem within the Salt Lake Valley-but in fact the ecosystem of the valley, the impacts of a drained lake bed lying fallow to the elements brings about images of severe dust storms polluting Salt Lake's skies. This change is not an unnatural one, in fact it is caused by well-known forces: urban and agricultural development. This paper finds that nature is based in the status quo- not what ought to be. Ecosystems are incredibly intricate and interconnected entities that the human scape actively moves and shapes. It is important to remember this connectivity in urban planning and policy because our actions do more than impact our way of life, they reshape the world around us.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Salt Lake Valley; acknowledge; Wasatch Front
Language eng
Rights Management (c) Cameron Quackenbush
Format Medium application/pdf
Permissions Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6382zt9
ARK ark:/87278/s6vx65qb
Setname ir_htoa
ID 1589664
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6vx65qb
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