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Global warming may turn Lake Tahoe murky mongabay.com March 24, 2008
The research projects higher temperatures will alter water circulation in the lake, dramatically altering the conditions for its flora and fauna. "What we expect is that deep mixing of Lake Tahoe's water layers will become less frequent, even non-existent, depleting the bottom waters of oxygen. This will result in major, permanent disruption to the entire lake food web," said Geoffrey Schladow, Director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at UC Davis. "A permanently stratified Lake Tahoe becomes just like any other lake or pond. It is no longer this unique, effervescent jewel, the finest example of nature's grandeur."
However models suggest that warming waters could slow and stop the circulation by 2019. The change could result in excessive algae blooms that could cloud the water, deprive lake fish of oxygen, and foul drinking water. "While we expected that the lake would mix less in the future, learning that we may be only a decade or two from the complete shutdown of deep mixing was very surprising," Schladow said. "If mixing shuts down, then no new oxygen gets to the bottom of the lake, and creatures that need it, such as lake trout, will have a large part of their range excluded." News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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