Great Salt Lake Elevations and Areal Extent Active
Great Salt Lake Hydromapper
Half-meter topobathymetric elevation model and elevation-area-volume tables for Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2002-2016
Great Salt Lake is unique among lakes in the Western Hemisphere because of its size and salt content. It occupies a low part of the desert area of western Utah and is a terminal lake with no outlet to the sea.
It varies considerably in size, depending on its surface elevation. At an elevation of 4,200 feet above sea level, the approximate historical average, it covers about 1, 700 square miles and contains about 16 million acre-feet of water, where an acre-foot is the quantity of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot deep or about 326,000 gallons.
The Rise and Fall of Great Salt Lake
On June 3,1986, the southern arm of Great Salt Lake reached a historic high water surface elevation of 4,211.60 feet (above NGVD 1929), after several years of greater-than-average precipitation. A record-breaking rise of 5.2 feet of the surface water level occurred from September 18, 1982, to June 30, 1983.
On November 7, 2022, the southern arm of the lake had receded to a record low water surface elevation of 4,188.5 feet (above NGVD 1929), after years of much lower-than-average precipitation.
Landsat Images
Dramatic changes in elevation and area of the south arm are observed in these 1986 and 2022 images at near-historic high and low levels. Use the slider to see more of either. (If using a mobile device, click "Download Images" to view as a separate page.)
Great Salt Lake Elevations
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has been collecting water-surface-elevation data from Great Salt Lake since 1875 and continuously since October 1902. By combining USGS data with other data sources, a water-surface elevation record dating back to 1847 is associated with USGS Station 10010000, a gage in the Saltair Boat Harbor, at the southern end of the lake.
The Union Pacific Railroad causeway completed in 1959, essentially divides the lake into two parts. The water-surface elevation of the south part of the lake is usually higher than that of the north part because most of the inflow to the lake is in the south part. The north part of the lake has been monitored since April 1966 via USGS Station 10010100, located northwest of Saline, Utah.
Go to elevation gages from links below to see current conditions.
Saltair Boat Harbor Elevation Gage (10010000)
South Side of Causeway Elevation Gage (10010024)
North Arm Elevation Gage near Saline, Utah (10010100)
Great Salt Lake Bathymetry and Surface Area-Volume Estimates
Half-meter topobathymetric elevation model and elevation-area-volume tables for Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2002-2016
Bathymetric maps and area-volume tables associated with the original surveys in the early 2000's of the north and south parts of Great Salt Lake are available from the following links.
Bathymetry of North Arm
Area and Volume of the North Arm
Bathymetry of South Arm
Area and Volume of South Arm
- Overview
Great Salt Lake is unique among lakes in the Western Hemisphere because of its size and salt content. It occupies a low part of the desert area of western Utah and is a terminal lake with no outlet to the sea.
It varies considerably in size, depending on its surface elevation. At an elevation of 4,200 feet above sea level, the approximate historical average, it covers about 1, 700 square miles and contains about 16 million acre-feet of water, where an acre-foot is the quantity of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot deep or about 326,000 gallons.
The Rise and Fall of Great Salt Lake
On June 3,1986, the southern arm of Great Salt Lake reached a historic high water surface elevation of 4,211.60 feet (above NGVD 1929), after several years of greater-than-average precipitation. A record-breaking rise of 5.2 feet of the surface water level occurred from September 18, 1982, to June 30, 1983.
On November 7, 2022, the southern arm of the lake had receded to a record low water surface elevation of 4,188.5 feet (above NGVD 1929), after years of much lower-than-average precipitation.
Landsat Images
Dramatic changes in elevation and area of the south arm are observed in these 1986 and 2022 images at near-historic high and low levels. Use the slider to see more of either. (If using a mobile device, click "Download Images" to view as a separate page.)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsIn 1986, when the lake was at a record high, it covered approximately 2,300 square miles. In 2022, it covers less than 1,000 square miles. Learn more about the Landsat mission at https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/ Great Salt Lake Elevations
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has been collecting water-surface-elevation data from Great Salt Lake since 1875 and continuously since October 1902. By combining USGS data with other data sources, a water-surface elevation record dating back to 1847 is associated with USGS Station 10010000, a gage in the Saltair Boat Harbor, at the southern end of the lake.
The Union Pacific Railroad causeway completed in 1959, essentially divides the lake into two parts. The water-surface elevation of the south part of the lake is usually higher than that of the north part because most of the inflow to the lake is in the south part. The north part of the lake has been monitored since April 1966 via USGS Station 10010100, located northwest of Saline, Utah.
Go to elevation gages from links below to see current conditions.
Saltair Boat Harbor Elevation Gage (10010000)Saltair Boat Harbor Elevation Gage (10010000)South Side of Causeway Elevation Gage (10010024)South Side of Causeway Elevation Gage (10010024)North Arm Elevation Gage near Saline, Utah (10010100)North Arm Elevation Gage near Saline, Utah (10010100)Great Salt Lake Bathymetry and Surface Area-Volume Estimates
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsHalf-meter topobathymetric elevation model and elevation-area-volume tables for Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2002-2016
This 2023 Data Release includes an assimilated topobathymetric raster comprising interpolated bathymetry from 2005 and 2006 (Baskin, 2005; Baskin, 2006) and QL1 and QL2 lidar from 2016 (Utah Geospatial Resource Center, 2016). The bathymetric dataset was originally published as contour maps (below). The contours were interpolated to develop a digital elevation model that is readable by a geographic information system and compatible with topographic lidar data generated in 2016.Because the water elevation of Great Salt Lake has declined since 2005, regions of the bathymetric and lidar datasets overlap to provide a reasonable estimate of error. The topobathymetric dataset was generated with a horizontal projection of UTM Zone 12N, North American Datum of 1983, Geoid 12b at a 0.5-meter horizontal resolution, and referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 in meters. This dataset also provides elevation-area-volume relationships for Great Salt Lake derived from the topobathymetric dataset. The topobathymetric dataset was resampled from 0.5-meter to 5.0-meter resolution due to the size of the topobathymetric dataset and computation constraints. An error analysis was conducted at 0.01-ft elevation increments across three elevation bands: lower (4,175.00–4,176.00 ft above NAVD 88), middle (4,200.00–4,201.00 ft above NAVD 88), and upper (4,215.00–4,216.00 ft above NAVD 88).Bathymetric maps and area-volume tables associated with the original surveys in the early 2000's of the north and south parts of Great Salt Lake are available from the following links.
Bathymetry of North ArmBathymetry of North ArmArea and Volume of the North ArmArea and Volume of the North ArmBathymetry of South ArmBathymetry of South ArmArea and Volume of South ArmArea and Volume of South Arm - Data
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