Why are some of Earth's largest lakes vanishing into thin air?

Science · Published 11 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We often view lakes as permanent fixtures of the landscape, but many are disappearing at alarming rates. From the Arctic tundra to the Andes, unexpected mechanisms like thawing permafrost and diverted rivers are causing once-mighty bodies of water to shrink, drain, or evaporate entirely.

The causes of lake disappearance vary by region. In the Andes, Lake Poopó in Bolivia recently vanished, turning into a dry salt pan due to a combination of silting, irrigation withdrawal from the Desaguadero River, and El Niño-driven warmth. Scientists warn that Lake Titicaca is nearing a tipping point; a 1 to 2 °C rise in atmospheric temperature by 2050 could evaporate its top layers and shut down the river system that supports 3 million people. Similarly, Iran's Lake Urmia has seen its volume drop to just 5% of what it was 20 years ago, driven by groundwater depletion, dams, and irrigation.

In the Arctic, a surprising phenomenon known as “catastrophic lake drainage” is occurring. While researchers once expected melting permafrost to expand lakes via meltwater, the thawing of the frozen ground actually makes the landscape more permeable. This allows surface water to drain rapidly into the subsurface. In 2018, 192 lakes in northwestern Alaska had partially or completely drained away. Recent studies show this loss has affected 82% of the Arctic's lake-rich regions over the last 20 years.

Other disappearances are more sudden or driven by human industry. In 2006, a sinkhole in Florida caused Scott Lake to drain in just two weeks, sucking an estimated 32 tons of wildlife into the Earth. Meanwhile, the Dead Sea is dropping by about one meter annually because water from the Jordan River is being diverted for domestic use and industrial chemical and potash companies. These shifts highlight a global trend where warming surface waters and increased water extraction are fundamentally altering Earth's hydrology.

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