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The great salt lake in Utah is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, with salinity levels ranging from 5% to 27%, which is 8 times saltier than the ocean. The lake sits at an elevation of approximately 4,200 feet above sea level. The lake's surface area, depth, and volume can change dramatically with seasonal variations in climatic cycles. The lake's average depth is about 14 feet boss, but it can range from as shallow as one foot to around 33 feet in deeper areas. The lake loses a significant amount of water each year through evaporation, which is estimated to be around 3.3 feet of water depth every year, and because of this high evaporation, the lake maintains its high salinity. Since 1987, the lake's surface area has decreased by about 50% as it loses 2.6 million gallons of water due to evaporation. And one of the main reason the lake's loses such significant amount of water is because the great salt lake is situated in a region that is influenced by the rain shadow effect. The Wasatch and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges blocks moisture-laden air from reaching the area, which leads to lower rainfall levels.