Great Salt Lake Playa Element Concentrations under Wet and Dry Conditions near Antelope Island, UT

As dust from the Great Salt Lake is blown into Salt Lake City and other major populated areas, it raises concerns about what the dust contains and the health hazards this may cause for nearby inhabitants. The study focuses on the effects that the rising and lowering of the shoreline will have on the sediment surrounding the Great Salt Lake. The repetition of these cycles affects the mobility of specific sediments and pollutants through changes in redox cycling, which can cause them to rise to the surface. The worry is that as wetting and drying occur, harmful sediment contents will make their way to the sediment’s surface, dry, and ultimately be blown into nearby cities as a harmful pollutant. To investigate this, shallow playa samples were collected seasonally for one calendar year (Sep. 2022 to Jun. 2023) along transects from the shore under varying moisture conditions at two locations near Antelope Island, UT, and analyzed for elemental concentrations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant/Cooperative Agreement No. G21AP10623.

DISCLAIMER:
The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey.