Global warming devours lake twice the size of Los Angeles

Warming tempratures claim a Bolivian lake, displacing thousands.

Climate change may be a debate topic in the United States, but for people who have been impacted by warming weather, it is a harsh reality. This is painfully evident in Lake Poopo, Bolivia, that nation's second-largest lake, which has now dried up to just 2 percent of its volume. Scientists don't think it will return to full volume thanks to climate change.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Climate change is impacting the planet and one place where it's painfully evident is Bolivia's Lake Poopo.  The lake, which used to be the nation's second largest, has now evaporated to just 2 percent of its normal volume. As the lake has dried, so too have the livelihoods and communities of people who once made their living there.

Lake Poopo sits at over 12,000 feed, high on the Bolivian plains. The region is essentially a cold desert, and is notoriously arid. Still, Lake Poopo has been fed by Andean glaciers and occasional rainfall, and at its largest extent in 1986, covered an area twice the size of Los Angeles.

The lake once teemed with life, hundreds of species of fish and birds inhabited the saline lake's waters, a testament to the lake's rich longevity, and now most of those species are either departed or extinct. Likewise, the people who made their living on the lake are also departed, leaving behind just a few hardy souls who scratch and glean what they can from the lake's rapidly drying bed.

Dead fish and birds are a common sight. Abandoned houses, overturned skiffs, complete the ghostly picture.

The lake may still fill up, at least partway, but it is highly unlikely to be as large as it was in the 1980s. And it is almost certain to evaporate completely before water returns. The reason is the average temperature on the high plain has increased by over 1 degree Celsius, speeding evaporation. The high Andean glaciers which feed the lake are shrinking rapidly, also victims of warming. Finally, El Nino, which brings drought to the region, is likely to become more frequent, strong and longer-lasting that ever before. This is because the oceans are storing more heat energy, possibly absorbing as much as 90 percent of the energy created by global warming.

The result of these factors is less water for Lake Poopo and the people who depend on it for survival. Already, 83 percent of the water that falls in the region is lost to evaporation. Now, there will be even less water overall.

Scientists believe the lake will return and it has dried up before, although such spells were short. With the planet warming, the glaciers shrinking, and drought becoming more severe, the prognosis for the region is poor.

Lake Poopo is just one of many regions being adversely affected by global warming. And with no reduction of CO2 emissions in sight, the shocks and crises created by shifting weather patterns will only become worse in the decades to come.

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