Great Salt Lake Biology: A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change

529 Pages·2020·19.961 MB·English

by  Bonnie K. Baxter, Jaimi K. Butler

Bonnie K. Baxter
Jaimi K. Butler   Editors
Great
Salt Lake
Biology
A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change
Great Salt Lake Biology
(cid:129)
Bonnie K. Baxter Jaimi K. Butler
Editors
Great Salt Lake Biology
A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change
Editors
BonnieK.Baxter JaimiK.Butler
GreatSaltLakeInstitute GreatSaltLakeInstitute
WestminsterCollege WestminsterCollege
SaltLakeCity,UT,USA SaltLakeCity,UT,USA
ISBN978-3-030-40351-5 ISBN978-3-030-40352-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40352-2
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To our children and our students: the future
generations who will continue the work to
keep Great Salt Lake great.
Preface
DearReaders,
Areyouexpectingatypicalstoryaboutlakeecology?Youmaybedisappointed
asthereisnothingtypicalaboutGreatSaltLakenorthistimeinEarth’shistory.This
bookaimstoreframeandupdateourknowledgebase,includeunheardvoices,and
dispensewithincompleteunderstandings.Itisatimeofchangeandreckoning.
Jaimi met Great Salt Lake for the first time in the mid-1980s as a young girl.
LocalsthoughttherisinglakewoulddrowntheentireSaltLakeValley.Thelakewas
atitshighestleveleverrecorded,andsheplunkedrocksdirectlyintothewaterfrom
theshoulderofthehighway.AlloftheislandsofGreatSaltLakeweretrueislands,
and their animals were isolated. Winters at this time were dramatic, with deep
snowfallthatshutthecitydownfordays.Thisisinstarkcontrasttonow.Itisrare
for snow to accumulate in the valley, plunking rocks into the water of the lake is
impossiblefromtheshoulderofthehighway,andmammalianpredatorsarewalking
across land bridgestoinvade pelican breeding grounds. Change dominates Jaimi’s
relationshipwithGreatSaltLakeoverher20-yearcareer.
Bonnie grew up in North Carolina, playing on Atlantic beaches, boating and
otherwiseinthewater.Intheintermountainwest,shefeltlandlockedandwasdrawn
totheshoresofGreatSaltLake.Itwasnotenoughtoplaythere;shebegantoworkat
the lake, studying the tiny microorganisms and their place in this otherworldly
landscape. In the two decades of her Utah career, Great Salt Lake shrunk dramati-
cally. Bonnie watched salt playa appear where she used to canoe with students.
Insteadofstudyinglifeinthewater,shebeganstudyingtheabilityoflifetosurvive,
desiccatedinsalt.
Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA, is one of the largest bodies of water in North
Americaandisuniqueinthatthisterminallakeisadjacenttoamajormetropolitan
area.Thelakeimpactsthemillionsofpeoplelivingthere,andtheyimpactthelake.
Great Salt Lake is at a crossroads. Piecemeal management, gaps in oversight,
inapplicable air and water quality standards, and misconceptions create hurdles.
Do we want this lake to remain a vibrant ecosystem, or let it dry into a dusty
ecologicalandeconomiccatastrophe?Wehaveanopportunitytodecidethefuture
vii
viii Preface
of the lake, and science should light the way. A more coordinated effort on all
aspectsofGreatSaltLakemanagementcouldmakethedifference.
Driven byourexperiences,adozenyearsagowebuiltGreatSaltLakeInstitute
together,toconnectpeopletothelakethroughresearchandeducation.Throughthis
work,wediscoveredscientistsandmanagerswhoarepassionateabouttheirworkon
thelake.Thisgroundswellofpeopleandnewdataprecipitatedtheideaofthisbook.
Our goal is to build an understanding of the biology of this immense system, its
varioussalinitygradients,anditssignificanceinthehemisphere.Butwemustsituate
ourknowledgeinthecontextofthistimeofchangewherethelakewillbeimpacted
byhumanpopulationgrowth,waterdiversions,climatechange,andpollution.
Books on Great Salt Lake have been few, and we are indebted to those authors
andeditors,fromStansburytoGwynn.Wealsoexpressourgratitudetothechapter
authorsofthisvolume;thankyouforgettingsaltywithus!GreatSaltLakeBiology:
ATerminalLakeinaTimeofChangeisnotonlyanupdatedview;itistheveryfirst
booktofocusonthebiologyofthelake.
SaltLakeCity,UT,USA BonnieK.Baxter
JaimiK.Butler
Contents
1 WaterDevelopment,ConsumptiveWaterUses,andGreat
SaltLake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
SarahE.NullandWayneA.Wurtsbaugh
2 ClimateChangeandGreatSaltLake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
BonnieK.BaxterandJaimiK.Butler
3 RelationshipsBetweenHumansandGreatSaltLake:
DynamicsofChange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
CarlaKoonsTrentelman
4 MicrobialitesofGreatSaltLake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
MelodyR.Lindsay,EricC.Dunham,andEricS.Boyd
5 UnexpectedComplexityatSalinitySaturation:Microbial
DiversityoftheNorthArmofGreatSaltLake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
SwatiAlmeida-DalmetandBonnieK.Baxter
6 InvertebratesandPhytoplanktonofGreatSaltLake:IsSalinity
theDrivingFactor?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
KatherineL.BarrettandGaryE.Belovsky
7 GreatSaltLakeArtemia:EcosystemFunctionsandServices
withaGlobalReach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
BradMarden,PhilBrown,andThomasBosteels
8 ImportanceofGreatSaltLaketoPelagicBirds:EaredGrebes,
Phalaropes,Gulls,Ducks,andWhitePelicans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
MichaelR.ConoverandMarkE.Bell
9 GreatSaltLakeShorebirds,TheirHabitats,andFoodBase. . . . . . 263
EllaDibbleSorensen,HeidiMorrillHoven,andJohnNeill
ix
x Contents
10 AmericanWhitePelicansofGunnisonIsland,GreatSalt
Lake,Utah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
AshleyM.Kijowski,JohnNeill,AdamWickline,JessicaSwift,
JaimiK.Butler,DavidA.Kimberly,JimVanLeeuwen,JohnLuft,
andKyleStone
11 AmphibiansandReptilesofAntelopeIsland,GreatSalt
Lake,Utah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
DavidA.KimberlyandChloeL.Fender
12 ShorelinePlantsofGreatSaltLake. . . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . . .. 369
EmberS.BradburyandDavidL.ParrottJr.
13 InvasivePlantsofGreatSaltLakeWetlands:What,Where,
When,How,andWhy?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
KarinM.Kettenring,ChadR.Cranney,RebekahDownard,
KeithR.Hambrecht,EmilyE.Tarsa,DianeR.Menuz,
andChristineB.Rohal
14 MercuryBioaccumulationandBiomagnificationinGreat
SaltLakeEcosystems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
AbigailF.ScottandFrankJ.Black
15 TheRozelPointTarSeepsandTheirImpactontheLocal
BiologyatGreatSaltLake,Utah. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. 463
KaraL.Kornhauser,H.GregoryMcDonald,RebeccaS.Dennis,
andJaimiK.Butler
16 GreatSaltLakeasanAstrobiologyAnalogueforAncientMartian
HypersalineAqueousSystems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
ScottM.PerlandBonnieK.Baxter
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Chapter 1
Water Development, Consumptive Water
Uses, and Great Salt Lake
SarahE.NullandWayneA.Wurtsbaugh
Abstract Great Salt Lake (GSL) covers 5500 km2 (2100 mi2) at its unimpacted
elevationandistheeighthlargestsalinelakeintheworld.Itshighlyproductivefood
web supports millions of migratory birds and the economic value of the lake is
estimatedat$1.5billionUSdollars in2019.Droughtsandwetcycleshavecaused
huge fluctuations in lake level, area, and salinities, and this variation has masked
anthropogenic impacts. Recent work, however, has determined that consumptive
waterusesinthewatershedhavedepletedinflowsbyapproximately39%,with63%
usedbyagriculture,11%bycities,13%bysolarponds,and13%byotheruses.This
hasloweredthelakeby3.4m,decreaseditsareaby51%,andreduceditsvolumeby
64%asof2019.Projectedwaterdevelopmentofthelake’sprimarytributarycould
lower the lake approximately 1.5 mmore. Climatechange, to date, has not notice-
ablyinfluencedlakelevel.PercapitawateruseinUtahisthesecondhighestinthe
nationandis2.6-foldhigherthanothersemiaridnations.Potentialsolutionsexistto
reduceconsumptivewaterusesandstabilizeorincreasetheGSLwaterlevel.Water
conservation is likely the most economical solution, with permanently mandated
water cutbacks costing $14–96 million ($5–32 per person). Water conservation
paired with water markets reduce costs further, costing between $2 and $16 per
person. Descriptions of potential solutions to reduce consumptive water uses and
stabilizeGSLlevelareastartingpointtoencouragediscussion.Strategieshaveyet
tobe prioritized orthoroughly evaluated. Quantifying water diversions from rivers
that feed GSL and consumptive water uses will allow Utahns to make defensible
decisionstomanagewaterresourcesandthelake’sbiologyforlong-termecological,
recreational,andeconomicbenefit.
Keywords GreatSaltLake·Waterlevel·Lakeelevation·Depletion·Terminal
lake·Salinity·Utah
S.E.Null(*)·W.A.Wurtsbaugh
DepartmentofWatershedSciences,UtahStateUniversity,Logan,UT,USA
e-mail:[email protected]
©SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2020 1
B.K.Baxter,J.K.Butler(eds.),GreatSaltLakeBiology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40352-2_1