News
9/24/2011
Research center brings new dimension to Tahoe science The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is developing new 3-D technology to help the public understand the processes surrounding freshwater ecosystems...[ More… ]
9/19/2011
Climate Change Could Mean Cloudy Future for Lake Tahoe
Over the last 15 years, more than a billion dollars has been spent to protect Lake Tahoe's clear waters from runoff and erosion. Now, new threats to lake's clarity are emerging, just as restoration funding is drying up. Researchers from UC Davis are hot on the trail of one of those threats...[ More… ]
9/7/2011
UC Davis Gets Big Grant to Study Lake Tahoe
Even if they can't make it all the way to the bottom of Lake Tahoe in person, UC Davis researchers will still be able to get a pretty good view. Researchers are getting a 2 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation...[ More… ]
8/26/2011
UC Davis ranks among Sierra magazine Top 10 greenest colleges
The University of California, Davis, is greener and cooler this year, moving into the Top 10 of Sierra magazine’s annual ranking of the “greenest” colleges in the United States. UC Davis earned the eighth spot...[ More… ]
8/17/2011
Climate dimming clarity of Lake Tahoe
Geoffrey Schladow, professor civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis and director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, says that the decline in water clarity at Lake Tahoe could indicate an influence by new factors such as climate change. [ More… ]
8/16/2011
Lake Tahoe clarity dips, leaders summit
The decades-long effort to restore the clarity of Lake Tahoe stands at a critical juncture as leaders from California and Nevada meet today on the shores of the treasured lake to discuss its future. The meeting comes days after the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released its annual study of the lake's clarity, reporting that last year's average clarity was the second-lowest ever recorded. [ More… ]
08/12/2011
Climate change, algae make 2010 a tough year for Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe clarity dropped in 2010, but the rate of decline in clarity over the past decade remains slower compared with previous decades, according to UC Davis scientists who have monitored the lake for more than 40 years. Researchers say the findings underscore the need for increased monitoring and continued collaborative management of the lake by both California and Nevada. [ More… ]
8/12/2011
Climate change may be muddying Lake Tahoe waters
Lake Tahoe's legendary clarity fell to its second-worst reading ever last year, just inches better than the record low measured 14 years ago when a $1.5 billion program to fix the lake's environment was launched. The average depth at which a 10-inch plate could be seen from a research boat was just 64.4 feet last year, a decline of 3.7 feet from the previous year. [ More… ]
07/26/2011
Two States Protect Lake Tahoe, But One Eyes Changes
UC Davis sends out a research vessel to Lake Tahoe every 10 days in order to measure clarity and study its patterns. Biologist Brant Allen says that clarity readings have declined from a depth of 102 feet in the 1960s to an average of 70 feet in recent years... [ More ]
11.23.2010
Lake Tahoe One of World's Fastest-Warming Lakes
A first-of-its-kind NASA study is finding nice cool lakes are heating up - even faster than air. Two NASA scientists used satellite data to look at 104 large inland lakes around the world and found that on average they have warmed 2 degrees (1.1 degree Celsius) since 1985... [ More ]
11.16.2010
Tahoe will lose much of its snow in coming decades, UC Davis study says
Children learning to ski at Lake Tahoe this winter will find far less opportunity to enjoy their new sport at middle age. In their 40s, they may also see a lake that has switched from crystal blue to murky green... [ More ]
11.15.2010
New Tahoe Analysis Adds 'When' and 'How Much' To Climate-Change Forecasts
UC Davis scientists today issued the most detailed forecast to date of likely climate-change effects at Lake Tahoe, complete with estimates of when those effects might be seen and how big they might be. Their findings suggest that even under the most optimistic projections... [ More ]
11.9.2010
Rubber mats appear to be successful in killing Tahoe's clams
Rubber mats laid atop beds of Lake Tahoe's invading clams seem to have done their deadly job. Last week, divers removed mats from two half-acre-sized swaths of clam-infested lake bottom. While data still are being analyzed, the test indicates the mats appear to be the most effective weapon against Tahoe's Asian clam population... [ More ]
10.3.2010
Increase in algae on Lake Tahoe may not indicate long-term trend
Despite the appearance of more algae attached to submerged rocks in the near-shore areas of Lake Tahoe, scientists are reluctant to ascribe the apparent increase to actual population growth... [ More ]
9.20.2010
Successful removal of aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe
UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is a partner in an effort to remove approximately one-third of the Eurasian watermilfoil infestation in Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, using experimental technologies. The project, which entails covering approximately 8,500 square feet of lake bottom with 8' x 40' reusable bottom barrier strips and hand-removal of the remaining weeds, appears to be an early success... [ More ]
9.3.2010
Lake Tahoe dodges bullet from Angora fire
Three years ago, a blaze sparked by an illegal campfire tore through more than 250 homes and scores of commercial buildings at Lake Tahoe. By the time the Angora fire was contained, it had burned more than 3,000 acres in a sensitive watershed that drains straight into the lake. At the time, researchers warned the fire might strike a severe blow to efforts to Keep Tahoe Blue. During storms, they feared, ash-laden runoff might gush into tributaries and further cloud the lake's cherished clarity. So far, that has not happened. This week, UC Davis released its annual "State of the Lake" report... [ More ]
8.31.2010
Good news in annual Lake Tahoe health report
UC Davis researchers noted several bright spots in their annual Lake Tahoe health report, issued today: The 2007 Angora Fire had no significant impact on lake clarity; a small test of a method to kill invasive clams worked; the pollutant phosphorus was at its lowest level in 29 years; and free-floating algae in the lake have generally remained constant since 1996... [ More ]
8.19.2010
Low-Tech Experiment Appears to Be Smothering Lake Tahoe's Clam Invasion
America's most famous alpine lake may have rebounded from historically low water clarity over the last 15 years, but the scientists who look after Lake Tahoe's clear blue waters see no reason to gloat. They've turned their attention to a new foe: an invading clam... [ More ]
8.18.2010
Tahoe clarity linked to environment, economy
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., congratulated fire officials, environmentalists, state and local governments and private efforts for their work to save Lake Tahoe over the past decade. She noted that a UC Davis report released Monday found that while Tahoe's waters may be murkier than in previous decades, they haven't worsened in the past 10 years. The UC Davis study found the lake's waters were clear to an average depth of 68.1 feet in 2009, down from 102.4 feet in 1968, when the school began measurements. She said a goal is to restore Tahoe's clarity to 78 feet over the next 15 years... [ More ]
8.16.2010
Lake Tahoe clarity held steady in 2009
Lake Tahoe clarity held steady in 2009 for the ninth year in a row, but remains significantly poorer than in previous decades, according to UC Davis scientists who have monitored the lake for more ... [ More ]
7.16.2010
University restores Tahoe hatchery, opens second education center
UC Davis last weekend (July 10) opened a second education center at Lake Tahoe to further showcase the university’s environmental research at the majestic Sierra lake. More than 600 people turned out for the grand opening, held in conjunction with Children’s Environmental Science Day. The center is at the old California state fish hatchery just east of Tahoe City, on the lake’s California side... [ More ]
7.9.2010
Scientists roll out 'not-welcome' mats to kill Tahoe clams
Lake Tahoe scientists at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Nevada, working with government and conservation organizations, this week began a novel attempt to control a dime-sized clam that threatens the spectacular lake's ecological balance
6.1.2010
UC Davis charts course to combat climate change
UC Davis has released its first-ever Climate Action Plan that documents the steps it has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so far and outlines the university’s next steps to combat global climate change.
8.18.2009
Annual Tahoe Report Says Asian Clam Invasion Is Growing Fast
UC Davis' annual Lake Tahoe health report describes a spreading Asian clam population that could put sharp shells and rotting algae on the spectacular mountain lake's popular beaches, possibly aid an invasion of quagga and zebra mussels, and even affect lake clarity and ecology.
7.06.2009
Bob Richards Recognized for his Contributions to Keeping Tahoe Blue
Long-time scientist will be the recipient of the 2009 Dwight Steel Award On July 10th, 2009 at the Tahoe-Baikal Institute’s Annual Friendraiser dinner, Bob Richards will be recognized for his long service to Lake Tahoe. Richards was the Captain of the UC Davis research vessel John LeConte for more than 30 years, braving all sorts of miserable weather conditions to collect weekly data about Lake Tahoe’s clarity.
6.26.2009
'Green' Technology Entrepreneurs Learn to Take Research to Market
The UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship will teach 45 students from around the world how to put their research to work at the third annual Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy in July.
3.19.2009
Lake Tahoe Clarity Continues to Hold Steady in 2008
The waters of Lake Tahoe were clear to an average depth of 69.6 feet in 2008, according to UC Davis scientists who have monitored the lake since 1968.
9.26.2008
Climate Change Alters Base of Tahoe Food Web
UC Davis researchers at Lake Tahoe this week published the first evidence that climate change alters the makeup of tiny plant communities called algae, which are the very foundation of the web of life in freshwater lakes.
9.25.2008
Invasive clams are getting closer look: Already in Lake Tahoe, Asian clams could help quagga mussels thrive
Tahoe Daily Tribune By Adam Jensen Relevance:
UC Davis researchers "have pointed to" invasive Asian clams as a possible source of nutrients that fed an algae bloom in Lake Tahoe's Marla Bay this summer, according to this article.
8.12.2008
Lake Tahoe Growing Warmer but Bluer Too, Report Says
Los Angeles Times By Tami Abdollah
According to a report released by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the clarity of Lake Tahoe's waters was little affected by smoke and ash from last year's Angora fire.
8.12.2008
Report on Lake Tahoe Finds Improved Clarity
The Associated Press
Brief item summarizes the findings of the 2008 "State of the Lake" report from UC Davis.
8.13.2008
Lake Tahoe Clearer, But Report Mostly Bleak
San Francisco Chronicle
According to a report from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the lake is slightly clearer this year, yet the effects of last year's Angora fire are still unknown. Geoffrey Schladow, director of the center, states in the introduction to the report that "Lake Tahoe is a complex ecosystem, and it behaves in ways we don't always expect."
8.13.2008
Lake Tahoe Bounces Back After 2007 Fire
Contra Costa Times By Paul Rogers John Reuter, a water quality scientist at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, states that a dry winter and few rainstorms helped prevent smoke and ash from entering the waters of Lake Tahoe. "While some smoke and ash did come into the lake, it didn't seem to affect the lake all that much," Reuter says.
7.10.2008
New Measurements of Toxics and Organics in Tahoe Smoke
To better understand the effects of catastrophic wildfires on the Lake Tahoe ecosystem, UC Davis researchers will install a fourth state-of-the-art air sampler at Lake Tahoe on Monday. The UC ... [ More ]
5.12.2008
New Analysis Shows Important Slowdown in Lake Tahoe Clarity Loss
For the first time since researchers began continuously measuring Lake Tahoe's famed water clarity 40 years ago, UC Davis scientists reported today that the historical rate of decline ... [ More ]
4.25.2008
Amory Lovins Will Address Green Entrepreneurs Academy
Renowned energy expert Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 UC Davis Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy, where doctoral students, post-docs and ... [ More ]
3.24.2008
Warming Could Radically Change Lake Tahoe in 10 Years
A new UC Davis study predicts that climate change will irreversibly alter water circulation in Lake Tahoe, radically changing the conditions for plants and fish in the lake -- and it could happen in ... [ More ]