US EditionLake Tahoe's Water Clarity Has Plateaued. What Scientists Are Looking Into to Improve It
- UC Davis researchers released the 2024 Lake Tahoe clarity report showing an annual average visibility of 62.3 feet measured by a Secchi disk.
- This report follows decades of efforts starting in the 1990s to reduce sediment pollution, but stopping fine sediment alone has not restored clarity lost last century.
- Additional findings show winter clarity improved to 68.9 feet in 2024, while summer clarity remained low at 53.4 feet amid warmer water and ecological changes.
- Stephanie Hampton of UC Davis noted the progress made in reducing and potentially stopping the decrease in water clarity, highlighting steady conditions over several years.
- The report indicates a decades-long plateau in water clarity, suggesting progress but underscoring the need for deeper study of sediment sources and lake processes.
15 Articles
15 Articles
'Not improving': Lake Tahoe had one of its murkiest years on record
Scientists and officials say they need to figure out why the famed alpine lake isn't improving despite decades and billions of dollars in efforts. Clarity last year was about 40 feet worse than in the 1960s.
East Bay Times
Lake Tahoe mystery: Why aren’t the lake’s famous waters getting more clear?
The clarity of Lake Tahoe — the famed alpine lake on California’s border with Nevada, whose spectacular scenery draws millions of visitors a year and has spawned countless bumper stickers to “Keep Tahoe Blue” — is in the middle of a curious trend. It isn’t really getting much better. Or much worse, despite relentless efforts to improve it. And scientists aren’t sure why. A new study published Monday by researchers at UC Davis shows that the annu…
Lake Tahoe Clarity Report: Trend stable, not improving
Lake Tahoe’s long-term clarity record is not trending worse, nor is it improving, according to the 2024 annual clarity report from the University of California, Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC). The report, released today, documents steep declines in clarity through the 1990s before leveling off in recent years. In 2024, annual average clarity for Lake Tahoe was 62.3 feet. That is down from last year’s average of 68.2 feet, but …
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