UC Davis releases Tahoe state-of-the-lake report

Earlier this month, the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at UC Davis released “Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2012.” This annual report highlights factors impacting the lake, including its “clarity, physics, chemistry and biology.”

The report’s UC Davis authors specifically discussed the unusual winter of 2010-11, noting its low temperatures and high precipitation. But the average Lake Tahoe water temperature increased by 0.6 degrees Farenheit, indicating a change in the lake’s infrastructure. Scientists then tested the lake’s stability and found that stratification—separate levels of water with different temperatures—lasted longer than usual, indicating a potential impact of climate change.

In 2010, clarity improved—but then fluctuated in 2011; the report says that algae Cyclotella might be the cause. In 1968, clarity was 102.4 feet. The lowest level in 2011, the second-worse recorded, was 51.5 feet.

The report also discusses present and future research projects. Scientists are investigating surrounding areas of the lake, including a study done on the impact of the 2007 Angora fire, which was shown to have no effect on the water. Others are looking at the mortality of trees in the Tahoe forests.