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.