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.
- Overview
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.
- Science
Below are science projects associated with the Klamath Basin.
- Data
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.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with the Klamath Basin.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with the Klamath Basin.
Filter Total Items: 45Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
As the lead science agency for the Department of Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey is actively involved in resource issues in the Klamath River basin. Activities include research projects on endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, threatened coho salmon, groundwater resources, seasonal runoff forecasting, water quality in Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, nutrient cycling in wetlanAuthorsS. P. VanderKooi, S. M. Burdick, K. R. Echols, C. A. Ottinger, B. H. Rosen, T. M. WoodUse 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
Vertical velocity and acoustic backscatter measurements by acoustic Doppler current profilers were used to determine seasonal, subseasonal (days to weeks), and diel variation in suspended solids in a freshwater lake where massive cyanobacterial blooms occur annually. During the growing season, the suspended material in the lake is dominated by the buoyancy-regulating cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon fAuthorsTamara M. Wood, Jeffrey W. GartnerHydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions During Restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Upper Klamath River Basin, Oregon, 2003-05
Restoring previously drained wetlands is a strategy currently being used to improve water quality and decrease nutrient loading into Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. In this 2003-05 study, ground- and surface-water quality and hydrologic conditions were characterized in the Wood River Wetland. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels, primarily as dissolved organic nitrogen and ammonium (NH4) and soluble reactivAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Daniel T. Snyder, John H. Duff, Frank J. Triska, Karl K. Lee, Ronald J. Avanzino, Steven SobieszczykWater Quality of a Drained Wetland, Caledonia Marsh on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, after Flooding in 2006
The unexpected inundation of Caledonia Marsh, a previously drained wetland adjacent to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, provided an opportunity to observe nutrient release from sediments into the water column of the flooded area and the resulting algal growth. Three sites, with differing proximity to the levee breach that reconnected the area to Upper Klamath Lake, were selected for water sample collecAuthorsMary K. Lindenberg, Tamara M. WoodBenthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA
Three collecting trips were coordinated in April, May, and August 2006 to sample the water column and benthos of hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake (OR, USA) through the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae. A pore‐water profiler was designed and fabricated to obtain the first high‐resolution (centimeter‐scale) estimates of the vertical concentration gradients of macro‐ and micronutrAuthorsJ.S. Kuwabara, B.R. Topping, D. D. Lynch, J.L. Carter, H.I. EssaidModeling hydrodynamics and heat transport in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and implications for water quality
The three-dimensional numerical model UnTRIM was used to model hydrodynamics and heat transport in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, between mid-June and mid-September in 2005 and between mid-May and mid-October in 2006. Data from as many as six meteorological stations were used to generate a spatially interpolated wind field to use as a forcing function. Solar radiation, air temperature, and relative hAuthorsTamara M. Wood, Ralph T. Cheng, Jeffrey W. Gartner, Gene R. Hoilman, Mary K. Lindenberg, Roy E. WellmanWater Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2005
During June-October 2005, water quality data were collected from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in Oregon, and meteorological data were collected around and within Upper Klamath Lake. Data recorded at two continuous water quality monitors in Agency Lake showed similar temperature patterns throughout the field season, but data recorded at the northern site showed more day-to-day variability for disAuthorsGene R. Hoilman, Mary K. Lindenberg, Tamara M. WoodAge-0 Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker nearshore habitat use in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: A patch occupancy approach
We examined habitat use by age-0 Lost River suckers Deltistes luxatus and shortnose suckers Chasmistes brevirostris over six substrate classes and in vegetated and nonvegetated areas of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. We used a patch occupancy approach to model the effect of physical habitat and water quality conditions on habitat use. Our models accounted for potential inconsistencies in detection prAuthorsS. M. Burdick, H.A. Hendrixson, S. P. VanderKooiA basin-scale approach to estimating stream temperatures of tributaries to the lower Klamath River, California
Stream temperature is an important component of salmonid habitat and is often above levels suitable for fish survival in the Lower Klamath River in northern California. The objective of this study was to provide boundary conditions for models that are assessing stream temperature on the main stem for the purpose of developing strategies to manage stream conditions using Total Maximum Daily Loads.AuthorsL. E. Flint, A. L. FlintWater Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2006
The U.S. Geological Survey Upper Klamath Lake water quality monitoring program gathered information from multiparameter continuous water quality monitors, physical water samples, dissolved oxygen production and consumption experiments, and meteorological stations during the June-October 2006 field season. The 2006 study area included Agency Lake and all of Upper Klamath Lake. Seasonal patterns inAuthorsMary K. Lindenberg, Gene Hoilman, Tamara M. WoodGround-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
The upper Klamath Basin spans the California-Oregon border from the flank of the Cascade Range eastward to the Basin and Range Province, and encompasses the Klamath River drainage basin above Iron Gate Dam. Most of the basin is semiarid, but the Cascade Range and uplands in the interior and eastern parts of the basin receive on average more than 30 inches of precipitation per year. The basin has sAuthorsMarshall W. Gannett, Kenneth E. Lite, Jonathan L. La Marche, Bruce J. Fisher, Danial J. PoletteIsotopic characterization of three groundwater recharge sources and inferences for selected aquifers in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, USA
Stable isotope (??D and ??18O) signatures of three principal groundwater recharge areas in the 21,000-km2 upper Klamath Basin are used to infer recharge sources for aquifers in the interior parts of the basin. Two of the principal recharge areas, the Cascade Range on the western and southern margin of the basin and uplands along the eastern margin, are defined by mean annual precipitation that excAuthorsP.C. Palmer, M. W. Gannett, S.R. Hinkle - Web Tools
Below are web tools to help you explore data in the Klamath Basin.
- News
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.
- Partners
Below are partners that work with USGS in the Klamath Basin.