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Full Description
The Sierra Nevada, California's iconic mountain range, harbors thousands of remote high-elevations lakes from which water flows to sustain agriculture and cities. As climate and air quality in the region change, so do the watershed processes upon which these lakes depend. In order to understand the future of California's ecology and natural resources, we need an integrated account of the environmental processes that underlie these aquatic systems.
Synthesizing over three decades of research on the lakes and watersheds of the Sierra Nevada, this book develops an integrated account of the hydrological and biogeochemical systems that sustain them. With a focus on Emerald Lake in Sequoia National Park, the book marshals long-term limnological and ecological data to provide a detailed and synthetic account, while also highlighting the vulnerability of Sierra lakes to changes in climate and atmospheric deposition. In so doing, it lays the scientific foundations for predicting and understanding how the lakes and watersheds will respond.
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
1 • Introduction to the Sierra Nevada
Physical Features
Ecological Aspects
Cultural History
History of Natural Resource Use and Conservation
2 • Introduction to High-Elevation Lakes and Watersheds of the Sierra Nevada
Lakes of the Sierra Nevada
Descriptions of Specific Lakes and Watersheds
3 • Snow Hydrology
Snow as a Source of Water to Lakes and Watersheds
Measurements of Snow
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Sierra Nevada Snow
Modeling Snowmelt
Future Directions
4 • Watershed Hydrology
Methods and Uncertainties
Precipitation
Stream Discharge
Evaporation
Water Budgets
5 • Watershed Biogeochemistry
Solute Concentrations in Snow and Rain
Release of Solutes from Snow
Outflow Solute Concentrations
Solute Balances
Geochemical Processes Influencing Solute Concentrations
Use of Models to Understand and Predict Hydrochemistry
Nitrogen Dynamics and Mass Balances
Phosphorus Dynamics and Mass Balances
6 • Limnology
Physical Processes
Hydrochemistry
Catchment Characteristics and Dissolved Organic Matter
Ecosystem Metabolism and Rates of Primary Production and Respiration
Aquatic Organisms
Eutrophication
Acidification
7 • Variability, Trends, and Future Scenarios
Climate Warming Trends
Changes in Precipitation
Regional Variations and Trends in SWE
Ice Cover Duration
Long-Term Patterns in Lake Temperatures
Snowmelt Dynamics
Hydrochemical and Biological Responses to Variations in SWE and Snowmelt
Future Climate Scenarios
Climate Change Challenges and Future Directions
References
Index
