 Eutrophication is a major global concern in lakes caused by excessive nutrient loadings from human activities and likely exacerbated by climate change. To address this issue, it is important to understand the complex interactions between nutrients and lake ecosystems. Therefore, it is essential to account for complex feedback mechanisms and non-linear interactions between nutrients and lake ecosystems in eutrophication assessments. Additionally, there is a need for more comprehensive indicators that represent the complex mechanisms of eutrophication in lake systems to guide the global expansion of water quality monitoring networks and support integrated assessments to manage eutrophication. This article was authored by Kefena Suresh, Ting Tang, Michelle T. H. Van Vliet and others.