Editing Great Salt Lake (section)

==Ecosystem==
[[File:American Avocet 2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|American avocets at [[Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge]]]]
[[File:02162008 Interstate80NWUtah.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Mountains of the Great Salt Lake in winter.]]
[[File:Stromatolites Great Salt Lake.jpg|thumb|Modern stromatolites (cyanobacteria) growing along the western shore of Antelope Island near Elephant Head.]]
The high salinity in parts of the lake makes them uninhabitable for all but a few species, including [[brine shrimp]], [[Brine fly|brine flies]], [[nematode]]s, and several forms of [[algae]]. The brine flies have an estimated population of over one hundred billion and serve as the main source of food for many of the birds which migrate to the lake.<ref name="GSL Facts">{{cite web |url = http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm |title = Great Salt Lake Facts | publisher = Utah.com |access-date = August 4, 2006 |archive-date = July 2, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140702055150/http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm |url-status = live }}</ref> However, the fresh- and salt-water [[wetland]]s along the eastern and northern edges of the Great Salt Lake provide critical habitat for millions of migratory [[Wader|shorebirds]] and [[waterfowl]] in western North America. These marshes account for approximately 75% of the wetlands in Utah.<ref name="Utah Wetlands">{{cite web |url = http://www.utahwetlands.org/ |title = Utah Wetlands Interpretive Network |publisher = Utah Wetlands Interpretive Network |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060619235128/http://www.utahwetlands.org/ |archive-date = June 19, 2006 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Some of the birds that depend on these marshes include:<ref name="Manomet">{{cite web |url = http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/sites/Great%20Salt%20Lake.htm |title = Great Salt Lake, UT: What Shorebird Species Use This Site? |publisher = Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051218091807/http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/sites/Great%20Salt%20Lake.htm |archive-date = December 18, 2005 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> [[Wilson's phalarope]], [[red-necked phalarope]], [[American avocet]], [[black-necked stilt]], [[marbled godwit]], [[snowy plover]], [[western sandpiper]], [[long-billed dowitcher]], [[tundra swan]], [[American white pelican]], [[white-faced ibis]], [[California gull]], [[eared grebe]], [[peregrine falcon]], [[bald eagle]], plus large populations of various [[ducks]] and [[geese]].

There are twenty-seven private duck clubs, seven state waterfowl management areas, and a large federal bird refuge on the Great Salt Lake's shores.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.xmission.com/~fogsl/archives/mar2003farmingtonPres.html |title = Utah's Great Salt Lake: An Undervalued Resource |publisher = Friends of Great Salt Lake |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041104071516/http://www.xmission.com/~fogsl/archives/mar2003farmingtonPres.html |archive-date = November 4, 2004 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Wetland/wildlife management areas include the [[Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge]]; Gillmor Sanctuary; Great Salt Lake Shore lands Preserve; Salt Creek, Public Shooting Grounds, Harold Crane, [[Locomotive Springs Wildlife Management Area|Locomotive Springs]], Ogden Bay, Timpie Springs, and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Areas.

Several islands in the lake provide critical nesting areas for various birds. Access to Hat, Gunnison, and Cub islands is strictly limited by the State of Utah in an effort to protect nesting colonies of [[American white pelican]] ''(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).''<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/rules/R657-15.html |title = R657-15: Closure of Gunnison, Cub and Hat Islands |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060311135957/http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/rules/R657-15.html |archive-date = March 11, 2006 |publisher = Utah Division of Wildlife Resources }}</ref> The islands within the Great Salt Lake also provide habitat for lizard and [[mammal]]ian [[wildlife]] and a variety of plant species. Some species may have been extirpated from the islands. For example, a number of explorers who visited the area in the mid-1800s (e.g. [[Emmanuel Domenech]], [[Howard Stansbury]], [[Jules Rémy]]) noted an abundance of yellow-flowered "onions" on several of the islands, which they identified as ''[[Calochortus luteus]]''. This species today occurs only in California; however, at that time the name ''C. luteus'' was applied to plants that later were named ''[[Calochortus nuttallii|C. nuttallii]]''<ref>{{cite web |first = C. Michael |last = Hogan |year = 2009 |url = http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=97686 |title = Yellow Mariposa Lily: ''Calochortus luteus'' | publisher = GlobalTwitcher.com |editor-first = N. |editor-last = Stromberg |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111004094242/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=97686 |archive-date = October 4, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=FNA>{{cite book |last = Fiedler |first = P. |title = Flora of North America North of Mexico |volume = 26 |year = 1993 |others = Zebell |chapter = Calochortus |publisher = Flora of North America Editorial Committee }}</ref> A yellow-flowered ''Calochortus'' was first named as a variety of ''C. nuttallii'' but was later separated into a new species, ''C. aureus''. This species occurs in Utah today, though apparently no longer on the islands of the Great Salt Lake.<ref name=AtlasUtah>{{cite web |last1 = Shultz |first1 = L.M. |title = Digital Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Utah |url = http://earth.gis.usu.edu/plants/ |publisher = Utah State University |access-date = August 7, 2012 |first2 = R. D. |last2 = Ramsey |first3 = W. |last3 = Lindquist |first4 = C. |last4 = Garrard |name-list-style = amp |year = 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121211110806/http://earth.gis.usu.edu/plants/ |archive-date = December 11, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Because of the Great Salt Lake's high salinity, it has few [[fish]], but they do occur in Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay when spring runoff brings fresh water into the lake. A few aquatic animals live in the lake's main basin, including centimeter-long [[brine shrimp]] ''(Artemia franciscana).'' Their tiny, hard-walled eggs or cysts (diameter about 200 micrometers)<ref name="USGS shrimp">{{cite web |url = http://ut.water.usgs.gov/shrimp/ |title = Brine Shrimp and Ecology of Great Salt Lake |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = August 14, 2005 |archive-date = March 11, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150311224411/http://ut.water.usgs.gov/shrimp/ |url-status = live }}</ref> are harvested in quantity during the fall and early winter. They are fed to [[prawn]]s in Asia,<ref name="GSL Facts"/> sold as novelty "[[Sea-Monkey]]s," sold either live, frozen, or [[Drying (food)|dehydrated]] in pet stores as a fish food, and used in testing of toxins, drugs, and other chemicals.<ref name="USGS-Birds"/> There are also two species of [[brine fly]],<ref name="Weber">{{cite web |url = http://faculty.weber.edu/sharley/AIFT/GSL-Life.htm |title = Life in the Great Salt Lake |publisher = [[Weber State University]] Department of Botany |access-date = August 4, 2006 |archive-date = September 5, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060905055459/http://faculty.weber.edu/sharley/AIFT/GSL-Life.htm |url-status = live }}</ref> as well as protozoa, rotifers, bacteria and algae.

Salinity differences between the sections of the lake separated by the railroad causeway result in significantly different biota. A [[phytoplankton]] community dominated by green [[algae]] or [[cyanobacteria]] (blue-green algae) tint the water south of the causeway a greenish color. North of the causeway, the lake is dominated by ''[[Dunaliella salina]]'', a species of algae which releases [[beta-carotene]], and the bacteria-like [[haloarchaea]],<ref name="DWR North">{{cite web |url = http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/gsl/brineshrimp/northarm.html |title = North Arm (Gunnison Bay) |publisher = Utah Division of Wildlife Resources |access-date = August 4, 2006 |archive-date = July 13, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060713072905/http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/gsl/brineshrimp/northarm.html |url-status = live }}</ref> which together give the water an unusual reddish or purplish color.<ref name="Weber"/> The dense, high-salinity water of the North Arm flows back through the causeway into the Southern portion of the lake, creating a deep brine layer there.<ref name="Global mercury">{{Cite news |url = http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10121605 |title = Study says mercury in Great Salt Lake is global problem |first = John |last = Hollenhorst |publisher = KSL |access-date = October 27, 2013 |archive-date = October 29, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201307/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10121605 |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Nerr0940 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg|thumb|250px|Migratory birds on the Great Salt Lake]]
Although brine shrimp can be found in the arm of the lake north of the causeway, studies conducted by the [[Utah Division of Wildlife Resources]] indicate that these are likely transient.<ref name="DWR North"/> Populations of brine shrimp are mostly restricted to the lake's south arm.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crownhart |first=Casey |date=2021-04-08 |title=Behold Brine Shrimp, the Livestock of Utah's Great Salt Lake |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/great-salt-lake-brine-shrimp |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref>

In the two bays that receive most of the lake's freshwater inflows, Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay, the diversity of organisms is much higher. Salinities in these bays can approach that of fresh water when the spring snow melt occurs, and this allows a variety of bacteria, algae and invertebrates to proliferate in the nutrient-rich water. The abundance of invertebrates such as [[gnat]] larvae ([[chironomid]]s) and [[back swimmer]]s (Trichocorixa) are fed upon extensively by the huge shorebird and waterfowl populations that utilize the lake. Fish in these bays are fed upon by diving terns and pelicans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Salt Lake Throughout the Year |url=https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/gsl/year/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=learn.genetics.utah.edu}}</ref>

===Pink Floyd the flamingo===
A solitary [[Chilean flamingo]], named Pink Floyd after [[Pink Floyd|the English rock band]], wintered at the Great Salt Lake. He escaped from Salt Lake City's [[Tracy Aviary]] in 1987 and lived in the wild, eating [[brine shrimp]] and socializing with [[gull]]s and [[swan]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=107968 |title = Could Pink Floyd Be Sick |publisher = KSL |access-date = September 7, 2007 |archive-date = September 30, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930154530/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=107968 |url-status = live }}.</ref> A group of Utah residents suggested petitioning the state to release more flamingos in an effort to keep Floyd company and as a possible tourist attraction.<ref name=feaf>{{cite news |last = Speckman |first = Stephen |title = Floyd may get some pink feathered friends |url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/585037108/Floyd-may-get-some-pink-feathered-friends.html?pg=all |access-date = October 3, 2013 |newspaper = Deseret News |date = January 12, 2004 |archive-date = October 4, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221230/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/585037108/Floyd-may-get-some-pink-feathered-friends.html?pg=all |url-status = dead }}</ref> Pink Floyd was last seen in Idaho, in the area of [[Camas National Wildlife Refuge]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660205853/Feeling-blue-about-Pink-Floyd.html?pg=all |title = Feeling Blue About Pink Floyd | publisher = Deseret News |access-date = October 3, 2013 |archive-date = October 4, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221343/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660205853/Feeling-blue-about-Pink-Floyd.html?pg=all |url-status = dead }}</ref>

===Elevated mercury levels===
{{missing information|section|significant reduction in methylmercury after 2013 culvert cut and drought ([https://unews.utah.edu/gsl-mercury/ utah.edu 2017])|date=May 2022}}
During a survey in the mid-1990s, [[U.S. Geological Survey]] and [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] researchers discovered a high level of [[methylmercury]] in the Great Salt Lake with 25 [[nanogram]]s per [[liter]] of water. For comparison, a fish consumption advisory was issued at the [[Florida Everglades]] after water there was found to contain 1 nanogram per liter.<ref name="Trib mercury">{{cite news |url = http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2577720 |title = Toxic mercury lurking in Great Salt Lake | publisher = Salt Lake Tribune |access-date = November 29, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071223041317/http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2577720 |archive-date = December 23, 2007 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The extremely high methylmercury concentrations have been only in the lake's anoxic deep brine layer ([[monimolimnion]]) below a depth of {{convert|20|ft|m}}, but concentrations are also moderately high up in the water column where there is oxygen to support brine shrimp and brine flies.

The toxic metal shows up throughout the lake's food chain, from brine shrimp to eared grebes and cinnamon teal.

The finding of high mercury levels prompted further studies,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://health.utah.gov/epi/enviroepi/activities/HotTopics/HotTopics/Waterfowl%20Advisory/UtahWaterfowlAdvisory0506.html |title = Utah Waterfowl Advisory |publisher = Utah Office of Epidemiology |access-date = August 25, 2006 |archive-date = September 24, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060924081813/http://health.utah.gov/epi/enviroepi/activities/HotTopics/HotTopics/Waterfowl%20Advisory/UtahWaterfowlAdvisory0506.html |url-status = live }}</ref> and a health advisory warning hunters not to eat [[common goldeneye]] or [[northern shoveler]], two species of [[duck]] found in the lake. It has been stated that this does not pose a risk to other recreational users of the lake.<ref>{{cite press release |url = http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-09/mercury_duck.php |title = High mercury levels found in two duck species |publisher = Utah Division of Wildlife Resources |access-date = August 25, 2006 |archive-date = February 1, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100201202949/http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-09/mercury_duck.php |url-status = live }}</ref>

After later studies were conducted with a larger number of birds, the advisories were revised and another was added for [[cinnamon teal]]. Seven other species of duck were studied and found to have levels of mercury below EPA guidelines, thus being determined safe to eat.<ref>{{cite press release |url = http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/06-09/mercury.php |title = Duck mercury advisories revised |publisher = Utah Division of Wildlife Resources |access-date = September 21, 2006 |archive-date = January 7, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100107095729/http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/06-09/mercury.php |url-status = live }}</ref>

A study in 2010 suggested that the main source of the mercury is from atmospheric deposition from worldwide industry, rather than local sources. As water levels rise and fall, mercury accumulation does as well. About 16% of the mercury is from rivers, and 84% is from the atmosphere as an inorganic form, which is converted into more toxic methylmercury by bacteria which thrive in the more saline water of the North arm affected by the causeway.<ref name="Global mercury"/>  A 2020 study found high concentrations of mercury in the lake's sediments, a consequence from smelting and mining activities in the surrounding mountains.<ref>Wurtsbaugh et al. 2020.  Effects of a century of mining and industrial production on metal contamination of a model saline ecosystem, Great Salt Lake, Utah. Environmental Pollution 266: 115072.  doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115072</ref> The mercury and other metals can contaminate the overlying water, and in turn, move into brine shrimp and other organisms.<ref>Jones & Wurtsbaugh. 2014. The Great Salt Lake's monimolimnion and its importance for mercury bioaccumulation in brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana).  Limnol. Oceanography 59 (1): 141-155.   https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2014.59.1.0141</ref>