Mono Basin Water Flows http://www.monolake.org/
Mar 27, 2015
Mono Basin Water Flows
http://www.monolake.org/
Mono Lake Tufas
formed when calcium-bearing freshwater springs well up through the carbonate rich alkaline lake water. They show that the lake was much deeper in the past.
Ecosystem• Saline lake
• Algae, Brine shrimp, Brine flies
• High desert wildlife
• http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mono24-2008jul24,0,5819920.story
Ecosystem
• Migratory birds
• Nesting birds
Ecosystem
Diversion begins in 1941
Diversion increase
Negit Island Landbridge Forms
Negit Island Landbridge Forms
1981:•Volume cut in half•Salinity climbed to 100 g/L (55 g/L was normal)•*Elevation 6372 ft (45 ft below avg)
http://www.monolake.org/naturalhistory/stats.htm
Salinity reduces evaporation rate
Model experiments
Other comments
• Mono Lake became meromictic between 1994 and 2005. (A 11 year interval of meromixis).
• It’s normal state is monomictic, where seasonal flucuations is surface density driven by temperature variations cause yearly overturning of deep water with oxygen rich surface waters.