Bolivia's Second-Largest Lake Has Evaporated

RTX1Z73O
Abandoned fishing boats are seen on the evaporated plain where Bolivia's Lake Poopó once lay. David Mercado / REUTERS

What was once Bolivia's second-largest lake is now almost entirely gone, turned into a barren expanse of salty earth that's littered with dead fish and abandoned boats.

Just a couple years ago, the waters of Lake Poopó took up nearly 400 square miles, twice the area of Lake Tahoe (and larger than all five boroughs of New York City combined). But now, only a tiny sliver remains.

Why has this lake all but disappeared?

lake-poopo-side-by-side-2-text
Lake Poopó as imaged by satellites on April 12, 2013, and Jan. 15, 2016. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen / USGS

The size of the lake has varied dramatically over the past century (official records weren't kept before then), but this is the worst shape it has been in, Lisa Borre, a senior researcher with the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies in New York, told National Geographic. Borre said the lake has shrunk due to warmer temperatures, less precipitation caused by El Nino, a lack of proper water management by the government and too much water being removed from the river that feeds it.

The lake is filled by the Desaguadero River, flowing from Lake Titicaca, which is in good shape. But the Desaguadero is increasingly diverted for agriculture and mining activities, and the Bolivian government is not letting enough water flow out of Titicaca, whose outlets are artificially managed, Borre says.

Borre says she thinks that the lake can rebound when rains inevitably return, but Dirk Hoffman, a German glaciologist, thinks otherwise. "This is a picture of the future of climate change," he told the Associated Press, saying that the more frequent droughts seen with climate change will make these kinds of disappearances more and more common.

RTX1Z77G
Lake Poopó was once Bolivia's second largest body of water. David Mercado / REUTERS

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Douglas Main is a journalist who lives in New York City and whose writing has appeared in the New York ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go