Ancient lake reappears in Death Valley after record-breaking rains

"After record-breaking rains, an ancient lake in Death Valley national park that had vanished has returned to view. The temporary lake, known informally as Lake Manly, has appeared once more at the bottom of Badwater Basin, which sits 282ft beneath sea level, in California. The basin is the lowest point in North America, according to the National Park Service. Repeated storms from September through November filled the flat with runoff, forming a thin layer of water."

"This year's version is smaller and shallower than the one seen two years prior, when remnants of Hurricane Hilary drenched the area and briefly even made it possible to kayak there. The park received in just two months more precipitation than it usually does in an entire year. From September to November, 2.41in of rain fell in Death Valley, according to the National Weather Service. November alone brought 1.76in, surpassing the 1923 record of 1.7in."

"Between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago, glaciers blanketed the Sierra Nevada. Meltwater from those ice sheets fed rivers that drained into a massive valley lake, the original Lake Manly, which once stretched nearly 100 miles (160km) long. Today, the basin is ordinarily bone-dry, its surface cracked by sun and wind. But the recent deluge transformed it once again, offering visitors a glimpse of how the desert might have looked millennia ago."

Repeated storms from September through November filled Badwater Basin with runoff, creating a thin, temporary Lake Manly at the lowest point in North America. The current lake is smaller and shallower than the one formed two years earlier after remnants of Hurricane Hilary. From September to November, 2.41 inches of rain fell, with November delivering 1.76 inches and breaking a 1923 record. Between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago glaciers fed rivers that created an original Lake Manly nearly 100 miles long. The normally bone-dry basin briefly resembled its ancient state. Rising temperatures near 130°F and extreme rainfall events have raised concerns about impacts to native plants, birds and wildlife.

Read at www.theguardian.com