A weather station installed during September 2016 to study the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) in northern Utah provides estimates of surface albedo that can be related to cycles of flooding and desiccation of the halite surface. However, their albedo can be reduced abruptly to less than 20% by flooding due to rainfall, runoff from surrounding higher terrain, or surface winds transporting shallow water across the playas. Dry highly reflective halite surfaces, which make up many of the desert playas in northern Utah, are generally characterized by a surface albedo over 40%. Desert playas, such as those in northern Utah, form a landscape often in stark contrast to surrounding mountain ranges due to their minimal topographic relief, lack of vegetation, and saline soils.
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