Scientists say Crater Lake is clearer than ever
Mail Tribune
Medford, Oregon
June 27, 1997
By DANI DODGE
Hope to quell fears of pollution
CRATER LAKE The lake world-renowned for its clarity got even
clearer this week.
Scientists who monitor Crater Lake discovered Wednesday that
they could see 43.3 meters (142 feet) into the deep blue waters.
That's the clearest the lake has been since recording started in
1896, said Mark Buktenica, Crater Lake's aquatic ecologist.
John Miele, Crater Lake National Park spokesman, said the
reading will put to rest rumors that Crater Lake is polluted.
Along with an increased recognition of the importance of the
lake, fear that the water was clouding prompted the federal
government to put millions of dollars into monitoring the lake.
"There
was concern in the 1980s that the lake was losing some of its
renowned clarity," Miele said. "Now we can tell you and everyone
else that Crater Lake is not losing its clarity."
In most lakes, such as Lost Creek Reservoir, a scientist can
measure clarity to only 5 meters, just over 16 feet. Buktenica
said Thursday it was hard to describe the thrill he felt
Wednesday at reading the lake's clarity.
"It was very exciting, but it may be the type of thing exciting
to a limnologist (a scientist who studies lakes)," he said. "I
probably will never see the water that clear again in my
lifetime."
Buktenica said a number of factors may have contributed to the
transparency, and scientists are doing tests now to determine
the causes. Some of the factors could be a cyclical decline in
the fish population, less plant plankton in the water, and the
fact that
the lake is cold for its entire depth of 1,932 feet. (When the
top layers of the lake begin to warm, particles are trapped in
the water.)
Buktenica said that the fact the lake rose 4 feet this year may
also be a factor.
"There are a lot of different cycles going on at the lake at the
same time," Buktenica said. "We don't understand what cycles
have to occur to get these unusually clear periods, but that's
one reason we continue to study this lake."
Buktenica said that because of the lake's clarity, it acts as an
early warning system for global warming and atmospheric
pollution. The lake is part of a global monitoring network, he
said.
The world's next-clearest lake is Lake Baikal in Russia, the
deepest lake in the world. Scientists have measured its clarity
to 40 meters, but only in the winter when a thick layer of ice
covers the entire surface.
Buktenica said even the casual visitor to Crater Lake can detect
the difference.
"When you stand on the edge of the lake and look at the bottom,
you can notice the crystal clarity," he said. "You can see
further. The color is just more intense."
