ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Great Salt Lake effect

Okay kiddo, do you know what a lake is? It's like a really big, shallow pool of water that doesn't move much. The Great Salt Lake is a really big lake that is located in the state of Utah.

Now, when the sun shines down on the Great Salt Lake, it makes the water evaporate. Evaporation means that the water turns into gas and goes up into the air. When this happens, there is salt left behind at the bottom of the lake.

But, since the Great Salt Lake is so big, it doesn't just evaporate a little bit of water. It evaporates a lot! This creates a lot of salt in the air around the lake. And since there is so much salt in the air, it can sometimes cause a special effect.

This effect is called the Great Salt Lake effect. The salt in the air can cause really cool things to happen. Sometimes it can look like there is a big wall of fog or mist that stretches across the lake. Other times, it can make the sky look like it's on fire with beautiful colors.

Isn't that neat? So next time you hear about the Great Salt Lake effect, you'll know exactly what it means!
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