Southern California’s Salton Sea is a prominent visual for astronauts.This large lake supports the rich agricultural fields of the Imperial, Coachellaand Mexicali Valleys in the California and Mexico desert. The Salton Sea formedby accident in 1905 when an irrigation canal ruptured, allowing the ColoradoRiver to flood the Salton Basin. Today the Sea performs an important functionas the sink for agricultural runoff; water levels are maintained by the runofffrom the surrounding agricultural valleys. The Salton Sea salinity is high—nearly1/4 saltier than ocean water—but it remains an important stopover pointfor migratory water birds, including several endangered species.
The region also experiences several environmental problems. The recentincreased demands for the limited Colorado River water threatens the amount ofwater allowed to flow into the Salton Sea. Increased salinity and decreasedwater levels could trigger several regional environmental crises.
The agricultural flow into the Sea includes nutrients and agriculturalby-products, increasing the productivity and likelihood of algae blooms. Thisimage shows either a bloom, or suspended sediment (usually highly organic) inthe water that has been stirred up by winds.
- The Salton Sea: A Brief Description of Its Current Conditions and Potential Remediation Projects
- Land Use Across the U.S.-Mexico Border
References & Resources
Astronaut photograph STS111-E-5224 was taken by the STS-111 Space Shuttle crew that recently returned from the International Space Station. The image was taken June 12, 2002 using a digital camera. The image was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
