A global assessment of saline lake dynamics from 1985 to 2021

Saline lakes play a critical role in ecosystem functioning and are highly sensitive to both 
climatic variability and human-induced pressures. Rising global water demand and intensified 
water extraction coupled with shifts in precipitation regimes and increasing temperatures 
have altered the hydrological stability of many saline lakes across the world. This study 
integrates satellite remote sensing and multi-decadal historical observations to assess the 
spatial extent and long-term dynamics of more than 24,000 saline lakes (> 10 ha) worldwide 
from 1985 to 2021. Our preliminary results reveal that approximately 15% of these lakes have 
undergone notable shrinkage, about 31% have experienced expansion, and the rest have 
remained largely unchanged during the study period. Linking spatial trends to climatic regimes 
indicates that lake shrinkage is primarily concentrated in arid and semi-arid regions which 
often experience acute water stress problems. In contrast, accelerated snow and glacier melt 
with global warming has been a primary driver of lake expansion. These findings underscore 
the need for region-specific water management strategies, especially in water-stressed 
regions where lake desiccation enhances ecosystem degradation and dust emissions with 
significant human health implications (Hassani et al., 2020).

Hassani, A., Azapagic, A., D'Odorico, P., Keshmiri, A., Shokri, N. (2020). Desiccation crisis of 
saline lakes: A new decision-support framework for building resilience to climate change. 
Science of the Total Environment, 703, 134718,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134718