How California storms have improved Lake Tahoe’s water clarity
Weeks of frigid air temperatures in the Sierra have caused Lake Tahoe’s water to “mix” for the first time since 2019, as cold water at the surface sinks to the lake’s 1,600-foot depths, bringing clearer water up. That means that the historically crystal-clear lake, which has grown murkier over the past several decades, is the clearest it has been in four years. The lake’s clarity, which is a sign of its overall health and typically drops to 60 or 70 feet deep, now goes down to 115 feet. … But it won’t last long, said Geoffrey Schladow, a professor and director of the UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center. … Water clarity in the lake was at an average depth of 61 feet in 2021, compared with 102 feet in 1968, when it was first studied by UC Davis. It also tends to be clearer in winter than summer, when there is more algae growth and sediment.