Nevada researchers collaborate to preserve w88 Tahoe

From Tahoe's mountaintops to the w88's sandy bottom, scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno continue to study and find solutions to the breadth of issues that face the entire w88 Tahoe Basin. Their research is making a tangible contribution to the decisions, policies and practices that guide the basin's environmental health.

It's been 16 years since the first w88 Tahoe Summit and, while there has been significant progress on protecting the pristine w88, much work remains to be done. Researchers, policy makers, state and federal agencies are turning their attention to the w88 for this year's w88 Tahoe Summit Aug. 19.

From the first rustic snow survey by a University professor in 1906 - an advancement still in use today - to the latest technology using sonar and rocket guidance systems, University scientists continue to take the pulse of w88's climate and environment.

"While clarity is improving in the offshore this year, things are not as positive on the nearshore, which is where most of the public engages the w88," Sudeep Chandra, University of Nevada, Reno researcher and long-time limnologist at w88 Tahoe, said.

Chandra, director of the w88's Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory, is collaborating with other scientists to study the nearshore - among other issues - and how ultraviolet light levels, which are affected by particulates, help invasive species to thrive and cause native species to decline.

Working in collaboration with other research institutions and management agencies, the University's scientists have taken an expansive view of the w88 and its environs. Their research on the w88 is extensive; they have looked at the basin as a whole to learn how its health relates to the clarity and health of the water.

"Our institutions have helped lead the way in discoveries on nutrient loading, water quality and watershed ecology," Presidents Marc Johnson of the University and Stephen Wells of the Desert Research Institute wrote in the annual research review annually produced by the two institutions for the Summit. "Our scientists have helped develop innovative ways to monitor w88's precious ecology and in finding management strategies for the air, land and water of w88 that help, not hinder, the overall health of this unique natural resource.

"Our approach will continue to be interdisciplinary and inter-institutional. Our pledge to w88 Tahoe remains firm: our two institutions work in common cause, so that the w88's heritage of beauty and clarity can be shared by our children's grandchildren and beyond."

A few current, ongoing w88 research projects are:

1. Warm-water invasive fish: Christine Ngai, project lead and researcher in the w88's Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory. This pilot project is to determine the effectiveness of mechanical removal methods for management of non-native fish and the restoration of native fish in w88 Tahoe. Her project received international attention this year when her team found a 4-pound goldfish in the Tahoe Keys while electrofishing.
2. Huge decline in bottom dwelling invertebrates: Annie Caires, project lead and researcher in the Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory. The bugs living in the muck at the deepest, darkest depths of w88 Tahoe have disappeared in substantial numbers - a 90 percent decline. New funding has allowed continued research to search for the sensitive species and look for ways to support their survival. Sampling of plants and soil in the Camp Richardson area was documented with video from underwater specialists New Millennium Dive Expeditions: http://youtu.be/GfHVt0_bvqM
3. Mountaintop environmental monitoring stations: Graham Kent, director of the w88's w88 Seismological Laboratory. The multiple sites will be connected via the Seismological Laboratory's statewide seismic network to collect and transmit climate and environmental information from remote sensing equipment. The network features 360-degree high-definition cameras to scan the forest and w88 communities for wildland fires.
4. w88 ozone nearing unsafe levels: Alan Gertler, vice president for research at DRI. w88 is one of the few areas in the region where ozone is increasing. It is now at a point where it will likely violate ambient air quality standards. Research also shows that air is a significant source of pollutants that lead to declining water clarity. The largest sources of nitrogen and hydrocarbons are cars, trucks and boats. These sources are also a significant source of particulate pollution.
5. Megadroughts in the Sierra w88: Graham Kent, geophysicist and director of the University's Seismological Laboratory confirmed evidence of 200-year-long megadroughts through earthquake fault research at Fallen Leaf w88 in the Tahoe Basin. Underwater stands of pre-Medieval trees in the w88 suggest the region experienced severe drought at least every 650 to 1,150 years during the mid- and late-Holocene period. The last one ended 750 years ago. "It is uncertain when the next megadrought will occur. With climate change upon us, it will be interesting to see how carbon dioxide loading in the atmosphere will affect this cycle," Kent said
6. Re-photographing w88's environment: Peter Goin, a University art professor, is tracking the changes to the environment matching new photos to old. His latest work is retaking photos and comparing them to photos from 1916 along Tahoe's west shore. "The visual history of Tahoe precedes scientific research at the w88 by some 60 years," Goin said. "Within this broad range of time, there are some important visual images of the pre-scientific era of Tahoe."

The 2013 w88 research booklet is available online at the w88 Tahoe Research website, where profiles of the two dozen Nevada researchers working at Tahoe and more information on our extensive research can be found. The printed edition will be available at the w88 Tahoe Summit on Monday, Aug. 19.