It sounds like you’re looking for the for a specific passage titled “Earth’s Lakes Are Under Threat” — likely from an IELTS or academic reading test.
Covered km² in the dry season; supports no fish or birds .
One of the primary drivers of lake depletion is the over-extraction of water for agriculture and industry. The Aral Sea serves as a tragic case study; once the world’s fourth-largest lake, it began to shrink in the 1960s after its feeder rivers were diverted to irrigate desert crops like cotton and rice. The resulting disappearance of the water has exposed vast salt flats that create toxic dust storms, damaging surrounding soil and health for hundreds of kilometres. Similarly, Lake Poopó in Bolivia has essentially vanished, leaving fishing communities without food or income. earth lakes are under threat reading answers
Patterns and hotspots
Surface temperatures have risen by an average of 0.34°C every decade since 1985. This warming disrupts the ecosystem, leading to a sharp decline in fish numbers. This is a crisis for local families who depend on these fish for and the employment provided by the fisheries. The Core Threats reading answers It sounds like you’re looking for
: The cause of Lake Waiau’s disappearance is not definitively proven.
Climate change is the primary driver of lake degradation. Rising global temperatures increase evaporation rates, leading to significant volume loss in bodies of water like Lake Chad or the Aral Sea. Furthermore, warmer waters disrupt the natural "mixing" of lake layers, which can suffocate aquatic life by depleting oxygen levels at the bottom. 2. Human Intervention and Overuse The Aral Sea serves as a tragic case
Millions of people rely on lake fish for protein. As lakes shrink and salinity levels rise, native fish species often die out.