Dominica’s Boiling Lake: Increasing Frequency of Instability

In the heart of Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park, the world’s second-largest flooded fumarole, the Boiling Lake, is once again under the spotlight. This natural wonder is currently undergoing another episode of instability, continuing a historical pattern of fluctuations in water level and temperature. This is the latest episode in a series that has been recorded since the 1800s, with the frequency seeming to increase in recent decades.

A Witness to Unprecedented Changes

A local tour guide visiting the lake on December 19, 2023, reported that everything seemed normal. However, a return visit the next day revealed a starkly different scene: the water level had dropped significantly, the color had turned to a dark grey, and the typically vigorous vaporization had weakened. This change was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern that has been increasingly observed over recent years.

A Historical Pattern of Instability

Boiling Lake’s history is marked by similar episodes of instability. Notable fluctuations were recorded in April 1964, 1967, 1971, and 1988. More recently, significant changes were observed in late 2004, November 2016, November 2021, and twice in early 2022. The current episode is the sixth since the turn of the century, and the pattern appears to be shifting, with episodes moving from the second to the fourth quarter of the year.

An Eye on the Future

The duration of the current instability is uncertain, and the situation is being closely monitored by local authorities, including government agencies, tour guides, and the UWI Seismic Research Centre. The lake’s episodes have become a hot topic on social media, particularly between November 2021 and early March 2022, when photographs and video clips of the lake’s condition were widely shared. As the world watches, the question remains: What does the future hold for Dominica’s Boiling Lake?