The air smells of salt as we watch clouds of Wilson’s phalaropes skim the silver surface of the lake. Upstream demands for water reduce flows to the lake and dramatically change the elevation of the saline lake shoreline. Environmental advocates and youth leaders are concerned about the potential health impacts of exposure to salty dust storms.
Great Salt Lake, right?
No—Laguna Mar Chiquita, in Argentina!
The similarities between Great Salt Lake and Laguna Mar Chiquita, the largest saline lake in South America, are striking. These sister lakes have similar depths, size, salinity, threats to water quantity and quality, and are linked as critical shared habitat for migratory shorebirds that span the Western Hemisphere.
We—Dr. Brenda Bowen, University of Utah geology professor and chair of atmospheric sciences, and PhD student Christine Rumsey—are studying the dynamics of saline lake change. In early December, Grow the Flow helped to facilitate our travel to Argentina to participate in a global collaboration linking research on Great Salt Lake and Laguna Mar Chiquita to better understand, protect, and utilize these salt lake ecosystems.
Our trip included participation in the Ansenuza Bird Festival, with two days of round-table discussions on saline lakes across the Western Hemisphere with diverse environmental conditions. Beyond birdwatching, the gathering had art making, technical talks by local ecological experts, presentations from international experts, and insights from youth leaders participating in Experiencia Ambientalia, an environmental education program.
This trip allowed us to conduct field research with Argentinian partners—strengthening an ongoing collaboration between the University of Utah, Manomet, and Parque Nacionales Ansenuza to understand changes in bird habitat. Monthly sampling of Laguna Mar Chiquita has helped identify patterns of change and highlights the difference between a snow-fed hydrological system such as Great Salt Lake and less seasonal lakes such as Laguna Mar Chiquita.
Our water sampling efforts included several days of travel around the lake, long walks in waders, and navigating mud. We shared the shores with flamingos and phalaropes, and in remote wetlands we observed a remarkable range of wildlife, including capybaras, ñandu, grey foxes, spoonbill, tortoise, herons, egrets, cara cara, lots of mosquitos, a boa constrictor, and many other species. On expeditions to smaller lagoons around the lake, local land-owners generously granted us access to their property and shared stories about the history of the lake and changes they’ve experienced as the water levels decline.
To better understand all sources of water entering the lake, we also sought out groundwater springs that discharge around the lake’s edge and visited each of the lake’s three major tributary rivers.
Through field observations and water sampling, our hope is to understand the chemistry, water and salt sources, and how conditions vary across the landscape. This work supports the development of practical and cost-effective tools for monitoring and managing saline lake ecosystems globally.
Our experiences at Laguna Mar Chiquita help us to frame and appreciate Great Salt Lake in a new way. Though separated by hemispheres, these sister lakes are deeply connected—vital saline lake ecosystems facing shared challenges and offering shared lessons for the future.
