The typically-dry Badwater Basin salt flat at the bottom of Death Valley has for months been teeming with water after record rains and flooding have battered eastern California since August.
Kayakers and nature lovers are flocking to Death Valley National Park in California to enjoy something exceedingly rare at one of the driest places in the United States: Water.
A temporary lake has bubbled up in the park’s Badwater Basin, which lies 282 feet below sea level. What is typically a dry salt flat at the bottom of Death Valley has for months been teeming with water after record rains and flooding have battered eastern California since August.
In the past six months, a deluge of storms bringing record amounts of rain led to the lake’s formation at the park − one of the hottest, driest and lowest-elevation places in North America, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Satellite images from NASA show how the lake formed in August in the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary. Though it gradually shrank, it persisted throughout the fall and winter before it was filled back up by another strong Californian storm earlier this month, known as an atmospheric river.
I can see it now. “So MuCh FOr GlObAL WaRmInG.”
Ya this has zero to do with climate change.
There is only so much water you can pull out each year for watering golf courses before it becomes net negative.
Gonna smell awesome when it starts drying out.
Gotta be super fuckin dangerous too. All those dead organisms suddenly saturated with water?
Dangerous how?
They probably think it’s some Hollywood scenario where a dried, salted germ from before mammals is able to adapt, spread, and kill a bunch of humans because water touched it.
Just playing with scenarios but I imagine something similar to Salton Sea and its evaporating toxic lake.
I want to have been there for when badwater basin was named.
“There’s some water in this here basin”
“Yuup, but it’s Bad.”
Going to be a great year for the International Landsailing events!
Oh man, watch for pyros carrying any neon signs.
