In 2000, the American West entered a megadrought that became its driest stretch in roughly 1,200 years. Years later, it left major lakes and reservoirs majorly depleted, with some losing enough water to expose miles of lakebed

Some of North America’s best-known lakes are becoming strikingly smaller. Across the American West, reservoirs and terminal lakes are holding far less water than they once did. The decline has been driven by a combination of drought, warming temperatures and heavy demands on limited water supplies. For some lakes, the change is now impossible to miss.

In 2000, the American West entered a megadrought that became its driest stretch in roughly 1,200 years. Years of heavy water diversion added to the strain, leaving some of North America’s major lakes and reservoirs dramatically depleted. In several places, falling water levels have exposed miles of once-submerged lakebed, as per a report by World Atlas.