Why Tahoe’s famously clear water is seeing huge swings in clarity
Lake Tahoe’s famous clarity, considered a gauge of the lake’s overall health, experienced historic swings back and forth last year, according to a report released Tuesday. During winter months in 2023, researchers documented water visibility at 91.8 feet across the lake on average, “the clearest observation since 1983 and the 10th best on record,” according to the report. But in summer months when water temperatures rise, visibility shrank to 53.5 feet on average, which researchers say is the fifth murkiest observed in 56 years. … In studying the lake for decades, TERC researchers have come to believe lake clarity is connected, in part, to the prevalence of tiny invasive shrimp that feast on water-clearing microscopic zooplankton. Other variables can and have affected Tahoe’s clarity … … More recently, some Tahoe scientists have become concerned about microplastics in the lake.
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