Spatial and temporal patterns of nearshore clarity in Lake Tahoe from fine resolution turbidity measurements
Abstract The nearshore areas of lakes respond quickly to watershed runoff, increases in tributary inflows from annual snowmelt, and increased anthropogenic activity in the basin. Therefore, this area of the lake serves both as an early warning system for water quality degradation and as an indicator of the effectiveness of land management practices or sediment control projects. In this study we evaluated the usefulness of combining fine-scale water quality measurements and discrete particle sample analysis to gain a better understanding of seasonal and spatial trends in the nearshore area of Lake Tahoe. Turbidity and mineral composition at 0.5 m depth were measured in nearshore waters near the City of South Lake Tahoe at a spatial resolution of 5–30 m in 2002 and 2003. Particles filtered from discrete samples collected 200 m from shore were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis using quantum electron dispersive spectrometry. Baseline turbidity levels were extremely low (0.15 NTU) ...