The Salar de Atacama in northern Chile hosts the biggest lithium reserves globally. However, concerns have arisen regarding the environmental impact of lithium extraction on its basin; in particular, the possible drought of its lagoons that sustain unique natural ecosystems. This investigation implemented an image processing and statistical methodology to assess the area evolution and dynamic behavior of these main water bodies between 1986 and 2018. Results showed that these lagoon systems have not presented significant changes despite increasing lithium production, even for the years of large brine extraction. The analysis indicated that the total surface area of the lagoons varied within a restricted range at 95% confidence level: on average, of the total area covered by these systems 0.03% could have been lost or 0.01% could have been gained per year. Moreover, a multivariate analysis indicated that brine extraction did not have a negative impact on the evolution of the surface areas of the lagoons during the last three decades.

智利北部的 Salar de Atacama 拥有全球最大的锂储量。然而，人们开始担心锂开采对其盆地的环境影响；特别是维持独特自然生态系统的泻湖可能发生干旱。这项调查实施了图像处理和统计方法，以评估 1986 年至 2018 年间这些主要水体的区域演变和动态行为。结果表明，尽管锂产量增加，这些泻湖系统并没有出现显着变化，即使是多年的大型卤水萃取。分析表明，泻湖的总表面积在 95% 置信水平的限制范围内变化：平均而言，在这些系统覆盖的总面积中，0.03% 可能已经丢失或 0。每年可以增加 01%。此外，多变量分析表明，在过去的三十年中，盐水提取对泻湖表面积的演变没有负面影响。