Are more lakes drying up?

Researchers of a new study say global warming and human consumption are causing the world's lakes to lose water. Over half of the world's lakes have shrunk, according to a new study published on Thursday.



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Climate warming and human consumption are the two main factors driving the decline in natural lakes. The study found that unsustainable human activities, such as over-extraction of water, led to the drying up of lakes like the Aral Sea in Central Asia and the Dead Sea in the Middle East.

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As the British Medical Journal reported in March 2023, the drying Euphrates River has forced some residents to rely on contaminated groundwater, leading to the spread of typhoid fever and cholera.

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The drying of lakes and reservoirs around the world is increasingly stressing water supplies for drinking and agriculture, endangering habitats for plants and fish, reducing the capacity to generate hydropower, and threatening marine recreation and tourism.

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Lake Mead retains just over one-fourth of the water that it was originally filled with, according to reports from July of 2022. The main contributors to Lake Mead's decreased water levels, besides population growth leading to depletion, include drought and climate change.

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6 Lakes That Are Drying Up
  • Lake Poopó This lake in west-central Bolivia occupies a shallow depression in the Altiplano, or “High Plateau,” at 12,090 feet (3,686 meters) above sea level. ...
  • Aral Sea. ...
  • Lake Mead.
  • Lake Chad. ...
  • Lake Urmia. ...
  • Dead Sea.


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Crater Lake, Oregon It is considered one of the cleanest lakes in the US because it doesn't receive any water from streams or rivers, according to experts.

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Due to their vast volumes, the lakes cool slowly through the fall, when evaporation increases into the cooler, drier air. Ice cover, which varies from year to year, curbs evaporation during the cold months.

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