Earth Lakes Are Under Threat Reading Answers Exclusive -

Found in Paragraph A: "...this decline equates to losing an amount of water equal to 17 Lake Meads every single year." 7. precipitation patterns

The consequences are laid out clearly for Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. Warming waters have severely disrupted its delicate ecosystem, leading to a sharp drop in fish numbers. The impact here is not just ecological but deeply social. Fish is the primary source of protein for families living around the lake. Furthermore, around 100,000 people depend on the lake's fisheries for regular employment, meaning the ripple effects of warming threaten entire communities with collapse. earth lakes are under threat reading answers exclusive

Finally, the reading passage examines Lake Urmia in Iran, which presents a unique and visually striking symptom of the crisis. Unusually hot summers, combined with the construction of dams and excessive irrigation, have caused the lake's waters to shrink dramatically. This has led to a bizarre and alarming change: the lake has turned from a beautiful green-blue to a murky red. Found in Paragraph A: "

The disappearance was a shock, not because it was unexpected, but because of its startling speed. Scientists had long predicted that Lake Poopo was destined to run dry, but their models suggested this catastrophe was at least a millennium away. The passage clearly outlines the deadly cocktail of factors responsible: pollution from the local mining industry, severe drought, global warming, and, critically, irrigation projects diverting precious water away from the lake. The human and ecological toll has been devastating. With the fish gone, entire communities have been uprooted, forced to abandon their ancestral homes. Furthermore, the lake was a critical stopover point for thousands of migratory birds, whose populations are now predicted to plummet. The impact here is not just ecological but deeply social

In Iran, Lake Urmia’s waters have also been affected by unusually hot summers, but dams and irrigation projects have also played a part. In the past, people admired its beautiful green-blue colour. However, the water now has a red tint. The reason for this is that bacteria quickly multiply in the warm waters of a shallow lake. Now local communities are understandably concerned about the future. One of their concerns is that Lake Urmia is no longer seen as a place where people can bathe to improve their health. As a result, in the last decade, there has been a downturn in tourism in the area, an industry many people depended on.

Perhaps the most dramatic example of this crisis is the story of Lake Poopo in Bolivia. Once the nation's second-largest lake, Poopo was a vital hub for local communities and migratory birds. The IELTS reading passage opens with this powerful case study, detailing how, for centuries, the lake followed a predictable seasonal pattern: swollen by winter rains to cover around 2,700 square kilometers, only to recede to roughly 1,000 square kilometers during the dry summer months. However, the natural order collapsed. In December 2015, satellite imagery confirmed what locals had feared—the lake was gone.