A study* using data from 393 lakes in the US and Europe found that, in general, dissolved oxygen concentrations have been decreasing, threatening water quality and biodiversity. The decline in dissolved oxygen are taking place at rates 3 - 9 times greater than observed in the world’s oceans. The study suggested that climate change and declining water clarity were reasons for the decline, two factors that are important at Lake Tahoe.
Dissolved oxygen concentrations in Lake Tahoe are measured at the bottom of the lake at two deep water locations, at multiple locations around the shoreline as part of the
Nearshore Network, and from top to bottom twice each month (a nearshore station in the shallow water of Lake Tahoe pictured right). The data observed suggests a very complex pattern, with periods of increasing and decreasing oxygen.
