The Effects of Mono Lakes Hydrology on its Ecosystem :: Environment Biology Essays

The Effects of infectious mononucleosis Lakes Hydrology on its EcosystemSituated at the foothills of the eastern sierra Nevada, monaural Lake has an unusual and unique hydrology that is highly influential in shaping the water chemistry (specifically the waters salinity and alkalinity) and biological life that survives there. Mono Lake is a hypersaline, highly alkaline, hydrographically closed basin in which the only inwrought means of water export is through evaporation. The basin itself was carved pop by faulting of tectonic plates that occurred atleast 500,000 years ago. Mono Basin contains up to 7,000 ft. of glacial, fluvial, lacustrine and volcanic deposits in a large structural depression make in part by down-dropping along the sierra Nevada fault (Pakiser 1976). In addition to the water evaporated, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) began diverting Mono Lakes water and approximately 58% of its natural inflow (annually) to supply 13% of the city of Los Ang eless water supply in 1940 (Stine 1991). Because lake volume fluctuates in repartee to varying inflow and evaporation, the late-water concentration and composition can experience impregnable change through time (Rogers 1992). A high concentration of alcohol-soluble compounds and salts formed inherently as evaporation occurred, and minerals and compounds were left behind. Runoff, erosional sediments and precipitation (rain and nose candy are limited in the Eastern side due to the rainshadow effect) from the Sierra Nevada accumulate in the Mono Basin. Also ephemeral perennial streams from the Sierra Nevada flow into the Mono Basin. Because of this, a great deal of the groundwater and the groundwater hydrological system is reign by stream losses from the mountains. Fault lines can also be highly influential to the production of groundwater. According to USGSs Ronald Oremland, The lake is usually monomictic, and undergoes one get along winter mixing event induced by the sinking of cutting surface waters. However, inputs of large amounts of freshwater into the lake in the early 1980s and once more in the late 1990s resulted in episodes of meromixis (Oremland 2000). Jellison predicts that the meromixis phase that is currently occurring ordain last several decades. Meromixis generally produces buildup of ammonia, sulfide and methane. In many cases diversions of freshwater inputs for irrigation or other human uses have resulted in diminished surface and increased salinity (Jellison 1992). Diverting Mono Lakes streams has not only affected political and environmental controversy over rights but has also light-emitting diode to the waters of Mono Lake being halved in lake volume, reduced by 45 ft.