SALT LAKE CITY — Jan. 9, 2026— Great Salt Lake researchers from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University traveled to Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina, to advance understanding of how changing water and salinity levels affect wetlands and migratory bird habitats across the Western Hemisphere.
This international effort to link Great Salt Lake and Laguna Mar Chiquita—the largest saline lake in South America—helps researchers better understand how saline lakes function, how they respond to water loss, and how we can more effectively monitor and protect these fragile ecosystems worldwide.
“The similarities between Great Salt Lake and Laguna Mar Chiquita are striking,” said Dr. Brenda Bowen, geology professor and chair of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah. “The sister lakes have similar depths, size, salinity, and threats to water quantity and quality, and are linked as critical shared habitats for migratory shorebirds that span the Western Hemisphere.”
In early December, Dr. Bowen, PhD student Christine Rumsey, and BYU Ecologist and Grow the Flow Executive Director Dr. Ben Abbott visited Mar Chiquita during the Ansenuza Bird Festival, which included two days of round-table discussions on saline lakes across the Americas, community events, and sampling research.
The work builds on a year-long collaborative effort between the University of Utah and Manomet Conservation Sciences in Argentina to characterize changes in phalarope and shorebird habitat. Great Salt Lake and Laguna Mar Chiquita are ecologically linked by migratory species such as Wilson’s phalaropes, which rely on both systems during their annual journeys across the Western Hemisphere.
“Understanding Laguna Mar Chiquita also contributes to a deeper understanding of Great Salt Lake, as the two places are inherently interconnected vital saline lake ecosystems,” Rumsey said.
Like Great Salt Lake, water diversions upstream of Laguna Mar Chiquita, primarily for agricultural use, have reduced flows in key tributaries feeding the lake. As water levels retreat, the exposed lakebed has become a significant source of toxic dust for surrounding communities, with plumes reaching hundreds of miles. These conditions have degraded soil quality and disrupted local economies.
Laguna Mar Chiquita and Great Salt Lake are among more than 100 saline lakes worldwide that are in rapid decline, which can lead to displacement, increases in chronic and terminal illnesses, and economic strain. Scientists have warned that without urgent action, these lakes risk crossing irreversible thresholds.
Grow the Flow fiscally sponsored Dr. Bowen and Rumsey’s travel to Mar Chiquita, recognizing the importance of deepening global saline lake research and sharing solutions across communities facing saline lake collapse.
