Description

For a 2018 edition of National Geographic Magazine, Carolyn Drake photographed Utah’s Great Salt Lake, which gives its name to the state’s capital and is the largest saline lake on earth – currently covering around 1,700 square miles. This is one of many lakes on earth facing recession and depletion, if not extinction, as a result of climate change and human interference. Drake’s images from the series show the lake as a place that is integral to local human activity, as people make use of the water to swim, watch for birds, collect salt and irrigate nearby land. Pictured here, artist Benjamin Anderson floats in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake. The water in this area has a higher salt concentration due to limited freshwater input, and halophiles that grow in the saline water give it a red tint.

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