There are a few questions to consider here. One of the core mandates of IISD Experimental Lakes Area is to undertake large scale experiments/research to provide guidance for science/evidence-based policies. There remain many issues that require this type of science, from climate change effects to potentially harmful pollutants. A main challenge for undertaking this research, for us and for our collaborators, is access to science funding to undertake this research. With recent investments by the Government of Canada in our facilities’ infrastructure, we are well positioned to support these large experiments.
When it comes to threats to lake health, we are relatively unaffected since the lakes we study are intentionally remote and relatively pristine —far enough away from human influence to escape many of the problems other lakes are facing (except climate change and pollution that reaches the lakes through the air). Having said all of that, when thinking more broadly about lakes around the world, we should remember that IISD-ELA was originally established to investigate what causes algal blooms. Algal blooms occur when too many nutrients enter a water body (eutrophication), which results in the excessive growth of algae. Research at IISD-ELA revealed that phosphorus, rather than nitrogen or carbon, was the primary nutrient responsible for algal blooms. However, controlling phosphorus entering our waterways proves to be a difficult and expensive endeavor, and algal blooms are still a major issue affecting many lakes around the world.