Whats is SIL?
The International Society of Limnology (SIL), founded in 1922, is the oldest and only international society entirely devoted to inland waters. Its mission is to further the study of all aspects of limnology, primarily through the organization of biennial congresses to promote scientific exchange among those pursuing purely academic research and those concerned with practical problems of inland waters, such as global warming, eutrophication, pollution, water supply and fishery.
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Limnology of Drylands
The SIL Working Group Limnology of Drylands was discussed for the first time during the I Symposium of Brazilian Semiarid Limnology, held in Areia (Paraíba state, Brazil) in 2016, by the initiative of a group of Brazilian limnologists who have been surveying freshwater semi-arid ecosystems in the last few decades. The aim of this proposal is to encourage cooperation among multidisciplinary researchers interested in investigating environmental issues in aquatic ecosystems of world's drylands.
Drylands cover about 41% of Earth’s land surface and more than two billion people inhabit them, more than 90% of whom are living in developing countries (Millennium Ecosystem, 2005). Drylands are characterized by highly variable annual rainfall, negative water balance (i.e. more evaporation than precipitation), heterogeneous spatial distribution of water, and multiple-use, which make such regions extremely vulnerable to climate change scenarios.
Dryland Limnology Working Group (INLD)
Luciana Gomes Barbosa (Chairperson)
Laboratory of Limnology,
Federal University of Paraiba
Paraiba, BRAZIL