Surface temperature and transport in Lake Tahoe: inferences from satellite (AVHRR) imagery

Abstract Analysis of satellite infra-red images in summer at Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, shows that upwelling on the west side of the lake causes an east-west temperature gradient that changes in strength from early spring to late summer, with maximum horizontal gradients in late June and early July. The mean temperature fields, sequences of individual images, and empirical orthogonal function analysis all suggest the presence of a large anticyclonic gyre in the north of the lake and a weaker cyclonic gyre in the south. This agrees with a numerical model of the lake's surface circulation, which has been driven by the measured diurnal summer wind fields. This circulation pattern is different from that reported at other lakes and may be an important factor in maintaining areas of maximum primary productivity seen in past synoptic studies of the lake.

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