The most haunting stories come from lakes that were once the lifeblood of entire nations. Lake Poopo (Bolivia):
Elara, a hydrologist, sat at her desk late one Tuesday night, grading papers. She sighed, picking up a student’s answer sheet. The prompt had asked for the primary causes of freshwater degradation. The student had scribbled: “Pollution and hot weather.” earth lakes are under threat reading answers
Human demand for irrigation and drinking water is literally draining lakes. The Aral Sea (a saline lake) has shrunk to 10% of its original volume. More recently, Lake Poopó in Bolivia disappeared entirely in 2015 due to mining diversions and drought. The Caspian Sea, Earth’s largest inland body of water, is currently dropping by 7 centimeters per year. The most haunting stories come from lakes that