Climate change and a population boom could dry up the Great Salt Lake in 5 years

Trekking along the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake — the largest remaining saltwater lake in the western hemisphere — can feel eerie and lonely.

"These might even be my footprints from last week," says Carly Biedul, pointing to indents in the mud. Biedul is a biologist with the Great Salt Lake Institute. She's bundled up in an orange puffy jacket, gloves and hat. Most important she's wearing, thick, sturdy, rubber boots.

The mud with a frozen, slick layer of ice on top gets treacherous. One thing that's hard to prepare for though, is the stench: A pungent odor like sulfur and dead fish. But it's actually a good thing, a sign of a biologically healthy saline lake. "People have been saying that they miss the lake stink because it just makes them feel like home," Biedul