Tim Smith sent me notice of this 2017 USGS publication, State of the Salton Sea—A Science and Monitoring Meeting of Scientists for the Salton Sea by Douglas A. Barnum, Timothy Bradley, Michael Cohen, Bruce Wilcox, and Gregor Yanega.
The workshop was held in September 2014, so this publication is about 30 months behind.
Download USGS_OFR_Salton_Sea_2017
Download USGS_Salton_Sea_Report_2017_Appendix
Introduction
The Salton Sea (Sea) is an ecosystem facing large systemic changes in the near future. Managers and stakeholders are seeking solutions to the decline of the Sea and have turned to the scientific community for answers. In response, scientists gathered in Irvine, California, to review existing science and propose scientific studies and monitoring needs required for understanding how to retain the Sea as a functional ecosystem. This document summarizes the proceedings of this gathering of approximately 50 scientists at a September 8–10, 2014, workshop on the State of the Salton Sea.
It's no surprise that the Salton Sea is deteriorating. It's not just an environmental issue but a public health one as well. The Pacific Institute has produced a helpful 2014 report, Hazard’s Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea. Here is a 2015 blog post by Michael Cohen, New Hope for the Salton Sea. The photo is from the blog.
In discussing the fate of the Salton Sea, it's important to remember that although the current lake is artificially-produced, over millennia the basin has been filled by Colorado River floods, desiccated, only to be filled again by another flood. That does not mean we should just 'let it be' and allow it to desiccate again. The implications of that course of action are far more serious than before the intervention of humans.
Another wicked water problem looking for a solution and a plan, one of which proposed by visionary Dr. Carl Hodges would involve bringing in ocean water to restore the sea. (according to friend Barney Popkin).
Stay tuned.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson, (in @FortuneMagazine via @TheWeek)
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