Great Lakes Diversions and Consumptive Uses
Great Lakes Diversions and Consumptive Uses

Author: International Joint Commission

Publisher:

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"This Report of the International Joint Commission concerning diversions and consumptive uses of Great Lakes water has been prepared in response to a reference from the Governments of Canada and the United States, dated February 21, 1977, and continues the Commission's long involvement in Great Lakes water quantity issues, which first emerged through concern about lake levels... The Commission's Report on the reference is in two parts. Part One examines the effects of existing diversions, the potential to improve extremes in Great Lakes levels by changing existing diversion flow rates, and existing and projected consumptive uses in the Great Lakes basin. Part Two provides a broader and more appropriate context within which to address the longer-term prospects for the use of Great Lakes water."--Executive summary.

Great Salt Lake Biology
Great Salt Lake Biology

Author: Bonnie K. Baxter

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-07-03

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 3030403521

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Great Salt Lake is an enormous terminal lake in the western United States. It is a highly productive ecosystem, which has global significance for millions of migrating birds who rely on this critical feeding station on their journey through the American west. For the human population in the adjacent metropolitan area, this body of water provides a significant economic resource as industries, such as brine shrimp harvesting and mineral extraction, generate jobs and income for the state of Utah. In addition, the lake provides the local population with ecosystem services, especially the creation of mountain snowpack that generates water supply, and the prevention of dust that may impair air quality. As a result of climate change and water diversions for consumptive uses, terminal lakes are shrinking worldwide, and this edited volume is written in this urgent context. This is the first book ever centered on Great Salt Lake biology. Current and novel data presented here paint a comprehensive picture, building on our past understanding and adding complexity. Together, the authors explore this saline lake from the microbial diversity to the invertebrates and the birds who eat them, along a dynamic salinity gradient with unique geochemistry. Some unusual perspectives are included, including the impact of tar seeps on the lake biology and why Great Salt Lake may help us search for life on Mars. Also, we consider the role of human perceptions and our effect on the biology of the lake. The editors made an effort to involve a diversity of experts on the Great Salt Lake system, but also to include unheard voices such as scientists at state agencies or non-profit advocacy organizations. This book is a timely discussion of a terminal lake that is significant, unique, and threatened.

The Great Lakes Water Wars
The Great Lakes Water Wars

Author: Peter Annin

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2009-08-25

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 159726637X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.