The lake goes dry naturally during periods of extreme drought, but the frequency of drying has increased presumably because of diversion of the water for agriculture (Heck et al. Goose Lake is an immense lake (elevation 1433 m) that straddles the Oregon border most of its watershed, and most of the water that historically flowed into the basin, is in Oregon. Jay Lund ( Lund 2023) and I ( Moyle 2023) have already blogged about Lake Tulare, so it will not be treated further here. What follows is a brief introduction to each these lakes. Walker, Pyramid, and Carson lakes are in Nevada. Approximate Locations of major terminal lakes in California. The lakes in Table 1 are mostly remnants of these ancient lakes, which during wet periods connected with other lakes.įigure 2. At times, much of the Central Valley must have been flooded as well. Then, heavy rainfall resulted in much of the Great Basin being covered with enormous lakes, including Lake Lahontan in Nevada and California east of the Sierra Nevada. Terminal lakes were of major importance during the Pleistocene Period. Historically, all varied in area and depth in relation to precipitation variations. Area is surface area assumed to be typical before diversions prevented most inflow from reaching the lake. Characteristics of ten terminal (endorheic) lakes of California (and Nevada). Not surprisingly, terminal lakes are mostly found in desert environments, where inflowing waters are coveted for irrigation and other uses diversion greatly increases the likelihood these lakes will shrink or dry up, especially during periods of drought. However, after multiple wet years, some may spill over basin boundaries and into a river system. For the most part, water enters from streams and leaves by evaporation or by seeping into the ground. Terminal Lakes are fed by streams and typically require high flow events to maintain their water levels. Geologically, they are mostly in endorheic basins where water flows in but not out. All these lakes have unique characteristics and are important features of the landscapes in which they occur. The latter three lakes are in Nevada but largely drain watersheds in California. But the term also encompasses Goose, Alkali (3 lakes), Eagle, Honey, Owens, Walker, Carson, and Pyramid lakes. Most famously, they include Mono Lake, Salton Sea, and Lake Tulare. Terminal Lakes are huge phenomena that are underappreciated for their importance in California. All are in need of management to protect their distinctive features and biota. This blog is a brief introduction to the largest of these fascinating lakes in California. They may or may not support endemic fish populations. Each lake has its own unique chemistry and other characteristics, although most are highly productive so are important to migratory waterfowl and invertebrates. They are called terminal lakes because water flows into the basins through streams, but leaves mostly by evaporation or sinking into underground aquifers. These are terminal lakes, that mostly depend on seasonal rain or snow melt to maintain them as lakes. But some of the most interesting lakes in the state draw our attention mainly when demand for water threatens to dry them up. Alternately, they may be referring to the 4,000 or so natural lakes in the Sierra Nevada or to one of the few large natural lakes in the state, such as Lake Tahoe or Clear Lake. When Californians talk of lakes, they usually mean reservoirs, the 1500 or so artificial bodies of water behind dams.
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