• News
  • Lake Facts
  • About

Lake Scientist

Changing Winds Key To Studying Lake Tahoe’s Currents

0
  • by Daniel Kelly
  • — November 18, 2014

Scientists at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center say that Lake Tahoe is all but calm underneath the surface, according to the Nevada Appeal. And though its currents are broadly fickle, experts at the center are working to better predict how they change.

Why is it important to know what Tahoe’s currents are doing?

“Lake motions are important,” said Geoff Schladow, director of the TERC to the Nevada Appeal. “It’s the currents, it’s the motions, that transport everything in the water.” In other words, knowing how the water behaves beneath the surface helps scientists forecast where the things it carries – like algae, toxins, pollutants, etc. – will go.

lake-tahoe-gyres

The surface circulation of Lake Tahoe can be shown using colored markers to act as tracers. (Credit: Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of California – Davis)

Many factors affect Lake Tahoe’s currents, but the largest influence on them is wind, says Schladow. Researchers are modeling wind patterns around the lake to chart those changes, but they’ve doubled up with underwater tech as well.

Five monitoring stations rest near the edges of Lake Tahoe collecting measurements of turbidity, temperature and algae concentrations. They will likely help those working to protect water quality at the lake who are looking at the interaction of circulation patterns and underwater conditions.

lake-tahoe-monitoring-nearshore

A newly installed nearshore monitoring station in Lake Tahoe. (Credit: Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of California-Davis)

“It’s the idea that we can monitor the nearshore in real-time,” said Schladow to the Nevada Appeal. “It’s not that hard to do. It’s the data we’re interested in, and we think it’s the data that’s needed.”

Share

You may also like...

  • Chandeliering Ice on Minnesota’s Medicine Lake (Video)
  • Red tide tracking to help oyster farms, Dept of Health
  • Lake Tanganyika Landmark fish study planned for Lake Tanganyika
  • Latest issue of Michigan Sea Grant’s Upwellings now available

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

FishSens SondeCAM HD
  • Recent Posts

    • Detroit River, Amherstburg, OntarioResearch Brief: Implications of Updated Phosphorous Loads from Lake Huron and the Detroit RiverNovember 24, 2023
    • Lake Victoria from the shore of Jinja, UgandaResearch Brief: Research Need in the Lake Victoria BasinNovember 17, 2023
    • 2012 Western Lake Erie Basin MeetingResearch Brief: 20-Year Phytoplankton Biomass Trends in Lake ErieNovember 10, 2023
    • Protecting Chicago’s Lakefront: Freshwater Beach MonitoringNovember 6, 2023
    • Satellite view of the African Great Lakes region.Research Brief: Recognizing the Need for Harmonized Monitoring Efforts in the African Great LakesNovember 3, 2023
  • Popular Tags

    Great Lakes research research summary pollution Lake Erie invasive species Product Spotlight Algae research brief runoff international Lake Michigan nutrient-loading Ohio dissolved oxygen climate change EPA temperature eutrophication toxic waters USGS ice phosphorus lake science Asian Carp

©2023 Fondriest Environmental Inc. | Questions? Call 888.426.2151 or email customercare@fondriest.com