Before the invention of Limans, their creators as well as scientists expected several positive and/or negative impacts:
* They expected a negative soil salinisation due to salt deposition and/or high evaporation rates. This was not the case.
* Carbon sequestration: Because of the biomass increase, a CO uptake is expected.
* Scientists were hoping for a methane uptake, but it could not be measured in limans. Instead, they found a shallow zone of methane production.
* Because desert crusts prevent rainwater from infiltrating the ground, they generate surface run-off that can lead to flash floods and to top-soil erosion. Limans prevent both the loss of surface runoff and of topsoil, as well as plant nutrients. On top of that, they provide a controlled place to deposit these resources.
* So far, no ecological research has been conducted on biodiversity within limans.