View of mountains across Lake Tahoe

Previous nearshore water quality studies have shown a distinct association between elevated near-shore turbidity and some developed areas (Taylor et al., 2004). However, lake perimeter surveys only provide a snapshot of conditions when the measurements are being made. The main objective of this study is the development and deployment of a nearshore buoy specific to Lake Tahoe's water quality. The buoy has the same or similar equipment equipment as used for lake perimeter surveys.

The use of automated buoys for monitoring near-shore effects can provide several benefits, such as: 1) data on long-term nearshore water quality trends at specific locations; 2) data on localized nearshore conditions corresponding to on-shore activities, such as restoration activities or BMPs; 3) data on specific activities that affect nearshore processes, such as marina dredging and/or the impact of boating activity.

Data

Some of the real-time data for the buoy is publicly available.