Remember the 1973 science fiction thriller Soylent Green? Look no farther than the increasingly slimy shores of Lake Chapala for what could turn into an impending true-life tale of ecological disaster.
The recent proliferation of microscopic algae that can be spotted a ground level looks even more startling in an image of the north shore captured on February 11 by a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite operated by the European Union.
Low water levels in the lake, combined with a rise in regional atmospheric temperatures, have led to excess accumulation of nutrients in the water that spawn algal blooms. Chapala wildlife, Guadalajara’s prime water source and human health may all be in peril should degradation and toxic conditions worsen.