Both of the provided materials are discussing salinity reduction of the Salton Sea.

Both of the provided materials are discussing salinity reduction of the Salton Sea. The reading avers how a recent increase in the amount of salt present in the lake's water endangers the lives of fish and birds local to the environment. Then the author provides three possible solutions for this issue. Conversely, the lecture finds these solutions implausible and impractical and opposes each of the author's points. First, the reading suggests a method of decreasing salinity by exploiting desalination facilities, in which water evaporates and restored to liquid form while leaving the salts behind. However, the professor refutes this point by stating that the salt is not the only remnant of the lake water evaporation. Moreover, the desalination process can induce health problems by emitting selenium, one of the products of the process, into the air. This toxic chemical can imperil people's life. Second, the reading proposes another solution by adjusting the lake's water using ocean water. Nonetheless, the lecturer contends that constructing the mentioned pipelines and canals would be a costly operation since the nearest ocean is at least one-hundred kilometres far from the site. Thus, this installation requires a vast fortune, which most likely cannot be sustained by the local administration. Third, the reading states that organizing the lake into various-sized divisions can be profitable for the small sections are allowed to get saltier while the central part is lightened using freshwater. Notwithstanding, the lecture disputes this method by mentioning frequent geological activities around the pond. Thus, if an earthquake takes place in the Salton area, those walls will be destructed, and the water from different sections is merged back together.