Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes, containing a combined total of 20% of the world's standing freshwater supply. I took this photo in my birth town of Racine, WI, looking north toward the Wind Point Lighthouse, in July 2019.
If there is no outlet or outflow for the lake, there are some interesting effects that result from interactions in the water cycle. Water in the lake can infiltrate into the groundwater and be drunk/absorbed by organisms. Additionally, as long as it receives a constant influx or inflow of water from a source, the lake can continue to exist. However, evaporation leaves behind minerals leading to the lake to becoming salty. If the supply of water halts, these lakes tend to dry and produce salt flats or salt pans.
Great Salt Lake,
N. America
Salar de Uyuni,
S. America
Dead Sea,
West Asia
