Nasa images show extreme withering of Lake Mead over 22 years

The pictures from 2000, 2021 and 2022 offer a new view into its dramatically low water levels, now at just 27% capacity

Stark images of the bathtub ring" around Lake Mead have come to symbolize the devastating effects of drought at America's largest reservoir. Now, newly released satellite pictures from Nasa offer a new view of how dramatically water levels have declined over the past 22 years.

The images, which cover the years 2000, 2021 and 2022, show once-full tributaries transformed into dry crevasses. The lake, which supplies water to roughly 25 million people across the American west, is currently at its lowest levels since it was filled in 1937. As of July 18, it stands at just 27% of its capacity.