Hydrological Revival and Subsequent Contraction of Lake Manly: A Case Study of Extreme Precipitation Events and Their Impact on Endorheic Watersheds in Death Valley, 2023–2024

Extreme precipitation in 2023–2024 temporarily re-established Lake Manly in Death Valley’s endorheic Badwater Basin. This retrospective observational study integrates Landsat 8/9 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, USGS 3DEP topography, NOAA precipitation records, and NASA SWOT-derived water-depth estimates to investigate the lake’s formation, expansion and contraction. Following Hurricane Hilary on 20 August 2023, mapped lake area reached 31.18 km² in September and declined to approximately 23 km² by late November. Following the atmospheric river event of 4-7 February 2024, the largest sampled area was 43.95 km² on 23 February, with an estimated mean depth of 0.7 m and volume of 30.765 million m³. By 4 March, estimated lake volume had decreased to 15.580 million m³, a 49.4% decline, while surface area fell by 11.4%. This disproportionate storage response highlights the importance of depth in interpreting shallow ephemeral lakes. Although evaporation, infiltration and wind-driven redistribution may contribute to observed changes, the available observations do not quantify their individual effects. The study illustrates the sensitivity of endorheic basins to episodic precipitation and identifies observational constraints on hydrological attribution.