Salty Shift: Climate Change, Human Interference Threaten Vital Coastal Lagoons
(MENAFN) Climate change and human interference are driving up salinity levels in coastal lagoons, putting their biodiversity and ecological roles at risk, according to new findings from the University of Adelaide.
These lagoons play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They support fisheries, buffer coastlines against storm damage, and provide vital habitats for species such as fish, crustaceans, and migratory birds. Their health largely depends on microbial diversity, which drives nutrient cycling and underpins rich ecosystems, according to a statement released by the university on Wednesday.
However, escalating temperatures, extended droughts, declining rainfall, and rising sea levels—compounded by human activities like diverting water, expanding cities, and depleting groundwater—are causing these lagoons to become overly salty, said Chris Keneally of the University of Adelaide. He is the lead author of the study, which appears in the journal Earth-Science Reviews.
This increasing salinity results in algal blooms and the takeover of salt-resistant microbes, which interfere with essential ecological processes like carbon cycling, nutrient storage, and greenhouse gas regulation, Keneally explained.
"A single hot, dry summer, like the one we have recently experienced, can completely shift this important habitat into a salty, green soup," reducing biodiversity and increasing risks of fish kills, toxic algal blooms, and loss of coastal flood protection, he said, noting that lagoons in dry and semi-dry regions—including parts of Australia, the Mediterranean, and the Persian Gulf—are especially at risk.
The study outlines several potential responses, such as reinstating natural water flows, upgrading wastewater systems, reviving wetlands, and planting salt-tolerant vegetation to help curb evaporation.
On a hopeful note, lagoons can bounce back relatively quickly. The report highlights the recovery of South Australia's Coorong Lagoon, which saw a resurgence in microbial diversity and ecological health within months following the 2022 Murray-Darling floods.
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