As Companies Eye Massive Lithium Deposits in #California’s #SaltonSea, Locals Anticipate a Mixed Bag

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26082023/salton-sea-lithium-mining-california/

#Selenium hazards in the #SaltonSea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future #wetland management. #environment #water https://www.usgs.gov/publications/selenium-hazards-salton-sea-environment-summary-current-knowledge-inform-future

#Selenium hazards in the #SaltonSea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future #wetland management. #environment #water https://www.usgs.gov/publications/selenium-hazards-salton-sea-environment-summary-current-knowledge-inform-future

As the #SaltonSea Shrinks, #Agriculture’s Legacy Turns to Dust

As drought dries up the shallow sea, near a half-million farmable acres in the #ImperialValley, #farmworkers living nearby are exposed to #toxic dust and airborne #pollution from algae blooms. Asthma, allergies, and other health impacts are rising at alarming rates.

By Virginia Gewin, July 17, 2023

"Building on findings from a recent study documenting the health impacts of poor air quality around the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, López was one of 15 mothers who subsequently agreed to photograph their children and their environments. Three-quarters of the 36 caregivers in the study identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 24 percent identified as #Purepecha, an #Indigenous group from the Mexican state of Michoacan. Over half of them are #farmworkers, as is common in the small, unincorporated communities that surround the sea.

"On bad air quality days, López keeps her 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter inside to protect them from a cascade of symptoms that she says worsen with outdoor exposure, including congestion, skin allergies, and shallow, labored breathing that makes sleep elusive. A 2019 survey found that 22 percent of children have asthma in the region, almost three times the national rate of 8.3 percent.

"Imperial County residents were exposed to over 1,200 pounds of #pesticides—via the air, water, and on the plants themselves—per square mile from 2017-2019. That exposure rate is over 90 percent higher than the rest of #California. On top of that, the region is the hottest in the state—with over 117 days over 100 degrees, according to a 2022 Hazardous Heat report.

"Farmers around the Salton Sea have worked to use water more efficiently and reduce field burning. But they also use intensive, conventional practices that rely on chemical inputs. And there is little if any conversation about changing those practices for the good of the Salton Sea or the area’s residents.

"In the last few years, the long-neglected region has been dubbed #Lithium Valley as it has received unprecedented attention due to its precious lithium reserves needed to fuel the state’s clean energy economy. But residents, scientists, and public health advocates worry that this new gold rush will further an extractive dynamic without adequately addressing community health. And new science about the connection between water pollution and air quality suggests more investment is needed."

#LithiumMining #BigAg #Farming

https://civileats.com/2023/07/17/as-the-salton-sea-shrinks-agricultures-legacy-turns-to-dust/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

#SaltonSea and #SlowViolence. #CAWater

https://mavensnotebook.com/2023/07/03/undark-scientists-warned-of-a-salton-sea-disaster-no-one-listened/

For #WaterWednesday, not too many thoughts. Today I poured out some sample mud sent to me by @DrBethRocks from the #SaltonSea. If you've never heard of it, the Salton Sea is one of the most polluted, most ecologically important, youngest, and most fascinating bodies of water in the US!! I also grew up with it in my geographic backyard.

Growing up in the desert, any water is inherently fascinating. I've always wanted to work on the Salton Sea and Dr. O'Shea is giving me that chance!

@simonzerafa Another link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/04/the-salton-sea-could-produce-the-worlds-greenest-lithium.html #SaltonSea #LithiumValley

The world’s largest #lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why

These significant bodies of water include the Colorado River’s #LakeMead, which has receded sharply amid a #megadrought and decades of #overuse.

By Laura Paddison, CNN

Published May 18, 2023 4:29 PM EDT

The shrinking of many lakes has been well documented, but the extent of change – and the reasons behind it – have been less thoroughly examined, said Fangfang Yao, the study’s lead author and a visiting scholar at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The researchers used satellite measurements of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs, which together represent 95% of Earth’s total lake water storage.

Examining more than 250,000 satellite images spanning from 1992 to 2020, along with climate models, they were able to reconstruct the history of the lakes going back decades.

The results were “staggering,” the report authors said.

They found that 53% of the lakes and reservoirs had lost significant amounts of water, with a net decline of around 22 billion metric tons a year – an amount the report authors compared to the volume of 17 Lake Meads.

More than half of the net loss of water volume in natural lakes can be attributed to human activities and climate change, the report found.
The report found losses in lake water storage everywhere, including in the humid #tropics and the cold Arctic. This suggests “drying trends worldwide are more extensive than previously thought,” Yao said.

Different lakes were affected by different drivers.

#Unsustainable water consumption is the predominant reason behind the shriveling of the #AralSea in Uzbekistan and California’s #SaltonSea, while changes in rainfall and runoff have driven the decline of the #GreatSaltLake, the report found.

In the #Arctic, lakes have been shrinking due to a combination of changes in temperature, precipitation, evaporation and runoff.

“Many of the human and climate change footprints on lake water losses were previously unknown,” Yao said, “such as the desiccations of #LakeGoodEZareh in Afghanistan and #LakeMarChiquita in Argentina."

#WaterIsLife #WaterWars #Consumption #ClimateCrisis

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/climate/worlds-largest-lakes-see-sharp-declines/1528645

Bombay Beach, CA 2019 #photography #california #SaltonSea

Show me what's hiding in the Salton Sea.

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ChatGPT-4 Plus:

The Salton Sea is the largest inland body of water in California and has played a crucial role in the agricultural industry in the region. The agricultural runoff from surrounding farms has historically provided a constant supply of water to the lake, which in turn has sustained the agricultural industry. This runoff also brought with it high levels of nutrients, salts, and pesticides.

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#AI #Midjourney #SaltonSea #California

This is the birthday of #CesarChavez who we #quote and back with a picture of a hay barn near #SaltonSea. If this #quotograph speaks to you please repost it.

@coyote_jones

Never been there, but it is on my bucket list...

#saltonsea

Wish I could have seen her glory days...

If you travel to the heart of southeast California, you’ll be snaking your way through roadside produce stands, date farms and small desert towns. That is until you stumble upon the forgotten oasis that is the Salton Sea. Along it’s dying shores of fish bones and endangered bird remains, you’ll find small communities of outliers; a collection of artists, eccentrics, nomads, and desert dwellers who thrive beyond the fringes of big city life. I always make a point to stop amidst my travels home, and Bombay Beach never ceases to disappoint.

#bombaybeach #thelastresort #saltonsea #california #sonorandesert #folkart #assemblageart #americanfolkart #roadtrip #desert #slabcity #thelastfreeplace

With all this rainfall in California, I was curious how the Salton Sea is fairing. Looks like, year-over-year, it's tracking similarly but is still down more than a foot.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/10254005/#parameterCode=62614&period=P365D&compare=true
#cawx #rain #saltonsea

The Salton Sea, An Accident Of History, Faces A New Water Crisis
--
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/climate/salton-sea-colorado-river-drought-crisis.html <-- NYT article
--
[an accidental, slow-moving, environmental, ecologic, public health, hydrologic, agricultural and cultural disaster]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #water #climatechange #waterresources #hydrology #SaltonSea #California #cropland #runoff #ColoradoRiver #watercrisis #watersecurity #publichealth #environment #ecology #agriculture # #evapotranspiration #fish #migratorybirds #dust #pollution #contaminants #canal #saline #salty #waterquality #lake #lakebed #wind #airborne #ImperialValley #airquality #childhood #asthma #respiratory #illnesses #artificial #management #planning #food #foodsecurity #migrant #population

The Salton Sea, an accident of fate
Is running low, problems us to date
Cropland runoff is the source with which we cope
But drought's brought water cuts and thus we mope
The Salton Sea is running out of hope

#saltonsea #california #drought #coloradoriver #watercrisis #poetry

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/climate/salton-sea-colorado-river-drought-crisis.html

@alexwild The problem of dust is being addressed on the #SaltonSea with #hayBales.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2y3HNe40Q

#photography #landscapephotography #saltonsea #nilandcalifornia #slabcity #salvationmountain #roadtrip #visionquest

"The Salton Sea area alone could produce nearly 6X the lithium currently produced globally". 😮

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq3x54cgLvM

#SaltonSea #Lithium #ElectricVehicles

When cold - I tend to think about warmer places -

Salton Sea - Desert Pupfish and Mozambique Tilapia are the only fish species found here due to the high salt concentration 🤔
I remember that its beaches were covered by fish bones (like 20 years ago) 😪 but Salton Sea itself was beautiful 😀

A plenty of backcasting room - although I never done fly fishing here 😉

Salton Sea, Imperial County, CA

#flyfishing #nature #hiking #saltonsea #environment