Klamath Basin Studies Active
In 1992, the USGS began studying possible causes for the change in trophic status of Upper Klamath Lake. Since then research has expanded to include groundwater, geomorphology, streamflow forecasting, and fish ecology.
Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow lake in southern Oregon that feeds the Klamath River, which flows through California into the Pacific Ocean. The lake is naturally rich in nutrients (i.e., eutrophic), but has become hypereutrophic during the 20th century. Nutrient levels have been high enough to cause annual, extensive blue-green algae blooms each summer since the 1930's. Generally, a eutrophic lake can support diverse plant and animal communities.
Water-quality problems that coincide with the blooms and subsequent decay of dead algae include foul odors, increased acidity, dissolved oxygen concentrations that fluctuate from supersaturation to depletion, elevated ammonia concentrations, and occasionally extensive fish kills. The degraded water quality is a contributing factor in the decline in populations of the shortnose sucker, Chasmistes brevirostris, and the Lost River sucker, Deltistes luxatus, both listed as Federally Endangered Species.
Research by USGS and others continues to monitor and assess conditions in Upper Klamath Lake and the surrounding watershed.
Below are science projects associated with the Klamath Basin.
Below are data releases from the Klamath Basin.
USGS Klamath River Basin Water-Quality Mapper
This map interface represents continuous and discrete water-quality data collected by Bureau of Reclamation and USGS at Klamath Basin sites. The USGS and Reclamation data stored in NWIS are accessible using existing tools such as NWIS-Web and the USGS Data Grapher system.
Below are multimedia items associated with the Klamath Basin.
Below are publications associated with the Klamath Basin.
Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
Use of acoustic backscatter and vertical velocity to estimate concentration and dynamics of suspended solids in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon: Implications for Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Hydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions During Restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Upper Klamath River Basin, Oregon, 2003-05
Water Quality of a Drained Wetland, Caledonia Marsh on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, after Flooding in 2006
Benthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA
Modeling hydrodynamics and heat transport in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and implications for water quality
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2005
Age-0 Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker nearshore habitat use in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: A patch occupancy approach
A basin-scale approach to estimating stream temperatures of tributaries to the lower Klamath River, California
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2006
Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
Isotopic characterization of three groundwater recharge sources and inferences for selected aquifers in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, USA
Below are web tools to help you explore data in the Klamath Basin.
Below are news stories associated with the Klamath Basin.
A Warming Climate Could Alter the Ecology of the Deepest Lake in the United States
Warming air temperature is predicted to change water temperature and water column mixing in Oregon’s Crater Lake over the next several decades, potentially impacting the clarity and health of the iconic lake, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today.
Below are partners that work with USGS in the Klamath Basin.
In 1992, the USGS began studying possible causes for the change in trophic status of Upper Klamath Lake. Since then research has expanded to include groundwater, geomorphology, streamflow forecasting, and fish ecology.
Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow lake in southern Oregon that feeds the Klamath River, which flows through California into the Pacific Ocean. The lake is naturally rich in nutrients (i.e., eutrophic), but has become hypereutrophic during the 20th century. Nutrient levels have been high enough to cause annual, extensive blue-green algae blooms each summer since the 1930's. Generally, a eutrophic lake can support diverse plant and animal communities.
Water-quality problems that coincide with the blooms and subsequent decay of dead algae include foul odors, increased acidity, dissolved oxygen concentrations that fluctuate from supersaturation to depletion, elevated ammonia concentrations, and occasionally extensive fish kills. The degraded water quality is a contributing factor in the decline in populations of the shortnose sucker, Chasmistes brevirostris, and the Lost River sucker, Deltistes luxatus, both listed as Federally Endangered Species.
Research by USGS and others continues to monitor and assess conditions in Upper Klamath Lake and the surrounding watershed.
Below are science projects associated with the Klamath Basin.
Below are data releases from the Klamath Basin.
USGS Klamath River Basin Water-Quality Mapper
This map interface represents continuous and discrete water-quality data collected by Bureau of Reclamation and USGS at Klamath Basin sites. The USGS and Reclamation data stored in NWIS are accessible using existing tools such as NWIS-Web and the USGS Data Grapher system.
Below are multimedia items associated with the Klamath Basin.
Below are publications associated with the Klamath Basin.
Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
Use of acoustic backscatter and vertical velocity to estimate concentration and dynamics of suspended solids in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon: Implications for Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Hydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions During Restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Upper Klamath River Basin, Oregon, 2003-05
Water Quality of a Drained Wetland, Caledonia Marsh on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, after Flooding in 2006
Benthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA
Modeling hydrodynamics and heat transport in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and implications for water quality
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2005
Age-0 Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker nearshore habitat use in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: A patch occupancy approach
A basin-scale approach to estimating stream temperatures of tributaries to the lower Klamath River, California
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2006
Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
Isotopic characterization of three groundwater recharge sources and inferences for selected aquifers in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, USA
Below are web tools to help you explore data in the Klamath Basin.
Below are news stories associated with the Klamath Basin.
A Warming Climate Could Alter the Ecology of the Deepest Lake in the United States
Warming air temperature is predicted to change water temperature and water column mixing in Oregon’s Crater Lake over the next several decades, potentially impacting the clarity and health of the iconic lake, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today.
Below are partners that work with USGS in the Klamath Basin.