{"id":76525,"date":"2024-06-03T12:09:57","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T10:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/?post_type=magazin&p=76525"},"modified":"2026-10-09T11:56:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T09:56:32","slug":"lake-neusiedl-tracing-the-salt-pans","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/water\/lake-neusiedl-tracing-the-salt-pans\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Neusiedl: tracing the salt pans"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\r\n Lake Neusiedl: tracing the salt pans <\/h2>\r\n\r\n
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In 2022 Austria\u2019s largest lake was at risk of drying up for the first time in 150 years. Our photographer Florian Sulzer<\/a><\/strong> investigated the causes.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

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In the easternmost part of Austria<\/strong> the effects of hot years with little rainfall are becoming ever more visible. The salt pans in the already dry Seewinkel region are suffering from a low water table, made worse by climate-related extremes and intensively irrigated crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake Neusiedl, Austria\u2019s largest lake, recorded its lowest water level since records began in 2022. The steppe lake is at risk of drying out completely for the first time in 150 years. An artificial feed channel is intended to stabilise the lake\u2019s water level, but the possible consequences for the sensitive ecosystem would be impossible to predict.

Thanks to persistent rainfall in 2024, both the salt pans and the lake have recovered slightly. The water level, however, is still below average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Florian Sulzer, the project \u2018Hoda eh wieda Wossa\u2019<\/a> \u2013 dialect for \u2018it\u2019s got water again anyway\u2019 \u2013 marks the start of a long-term study of one of the driest regions in Austria. Steering clear of dystopian visions of the future and simplistic human fixes, he aims to take a calm look at a highly emotional debate.
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