Researchers map 100+ lakes in Brazil, Uruguay that could warn of ecosystem collapse

Published in the journal One Ecosystem, the research provides the first systematic assessment of the Southern American Coastal Shallow Subtropical Lakes What if lakes could warn us about an environmental disaster? These freshwater systems may be giving off subtle biological signals long before the fish start dying off, the algae bloom on the water, or the pollution becomes hazardous. Well, the difficulty has always been how to read them. But, a new international study suggests that a vast chain of shallow lakes stretching more than 1,000 kilometers along the Atlantic coast of southern Brazil and Uruguay could become one of the world's most valuable natural observatories for detecting those warning signs. Watching these connected lakes over time, scientists believe they can see the first signs of climate change, pollution and ecosystem collapse—long before any damage is irreversible. Published in the journal One Ecosystem, the research provides the first systematic assessment of the Southern American Coastal Shallow Subtropical Lakes, emphasizing their importance for South America and for global freshwater research.A hidden giant of the freshwaterDespite being one of the largest con...