The shoreline of the Salton Sea is rapidly receding and the lake is shrinking faster than expected, in large part because of the Imperial Irrigation District’s (IID) 2017 decision to stop providing mitigation water to the Salton Sea, due to the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) which allows for water transfers from the IID to the San Diego County Water Authority.
Dr. Ryan Sinclair, Dr. Seth Wiafe, and Josileide Gaio from Loma Linda University, along with Sahara Huazano from Alianza Coachella Valley and Dr. William Porter from the University of California, Riverside published a new article in Geographies titled “A Balloon Mapping Approach to Forecast Increases in PM10 from the Shrinking Shoreline of the Salton Sea.”
The article outlines findings from a balloon mapping study of the shoreline of the Salton Sea and how the receding lake will negatively affect the surrounding communities. Researchers forecast that parts of the Salton Sea’s North Shore are expected to retreat 150 meters by 2030 and an additional 172 meters by 2041 given the current rate of retreat.
Researchers recruited community scientists for this initiative and worked with the Alianza Coachella Valley’s Youth Organizing Council, whose members included students interested in environmental justice. This recruitment took place after the community expressed concerns about the receding shoreline during their meetings for Alianza’s Resilient Salton Sea Committee. Community scientists and youth attended biweekly meetings for data collection through balloon mapping of the north shore of the Salton Sea.
The study emphasizes that the increase in exposed playa will lead to a rise in the amount of suspended dust, which can then be transported in the air into the surrounding communities. Without mitigation, the expanding exposed playa around the Salton Sea is expected to worsen pollutant exposure, particularly PM10 levels, in local communities.
As a result, Salton Sea communities, communities that are already under-resourced and experience poverty and a lack of healthcare options, will be the first populations to be impacted by the increased levels of PM10 pollution.
The study also shows that the rate of change in the shoreline is an important metric to measure at the Salton Sea and other shallow saline lakes experiencing rapid climate change. By tracking the rate of shoreline change, the consequences and direct impact of the decisions to stop adding water to the lake are evident.
Inaction to mitigate the receding shoreline at the Salton Sea will further harm an already vulnerable community and it’s important to accelerate solutions that will protect both the environment and residents of the Salton Sea region.
