Mono Lake
Satellite photo
Location	Mono County, California
Coordinates	38.016506° N 119.008999° W
Lake type	Hypersaline Monomictic
Primary inflows	Owens River
Primary outflows	Aqueduct Evaporation
Basin countries	United States
Max. Mono County is a County located in the east central portion of the U A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. Monomictic lakes are Holomictic lakes that mix from top to bottom during one mixing period each year In Hydrology, the inflow of a Body of water is the source of the Water in the body of water The Owens River is a River in eastern California in the United States, approximately long In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time The California Water Wars describes the disputes between Los Angeles, California and the Owens Valley over Water rights The disputes Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, length	~7. 5 km (4. 7 mi)
Max. width	~7. 5 km (4. 7 mi)
Surface area	180 km² (69 mi²)
Average depth	17 m (57 ft)
Max. depth	48 m (159 ft)
Water volume	2. 97 km³ (0. 71 mi³)
Shore length1	~25 km (15. 5 mi)
Surface elevation	~1,945. 8 m (6,383. 9 ft)
Islands	Negit Island Paoha Island
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. Negit Island is an island in Mono Lake. Negit (along with nearby Paoha Island) is a Volcanic cone less than 2000 years old

Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species^[1] and is an unusually productive ecosystem. In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal The salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of Water which has a concentration of Salts (mostly Sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( ^[2]

Contents 1 Geology 2 Conservation efforts 3 Limnology 4 Ecology 4.1 Important species residing in Mono Lake 5 Native people of Mono Lake 6 Cultural history 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Geology

Mono Lake is believed to have formed at least 760,000 years ago, dating back to the Long Valley eruption. For the town in New Jersey see Long Valley New Jersey Long Valley Caldera is a depression in Eastern California that is adjacent to Sediments located below the ash layer hint that Mono Lake could be a remnant of a larger and older lake that once covered a large part of Nevada and Utah, making it among the oldest lakes in North America. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States.

Mono Lake is a terminal lake in a watershed fed from melting runoff with no outlet. Dissolved salts in the runoff thus remain in the lake and raise the pH and the salt concentration. pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a Solution.

Mono Lake is in a geologically active area at the north end of the Mono-Inyo Crater volcanic chain of the Long Valley Caldera. Mono-Inyo Craters in California USA are a nearly straight line of small Volcanoes that stretch from Mammoth Mountain and Long Valley Caldera For the town in New Jersey see Long Valley New Jersey Long Valley Caldera is a depression in Eastern California that is adjacent to The geological activity is caused by faulting at the base of the Sierra Nevada, and is associated with the crustal stretching of the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The Basin and Range Province is a large geologic province which includes parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, typified by Basin and

Volcanic activity continues in the Mono Lake vicinity: the most recent eruption occurred 250 years ago at Negit Island in Mono Lake. Negit Island is an island in Mono Lake. Negit (along with nearby Paoha Island) is a Volcanic cone less than 2000 years old Panum Crater (on the south shore of the lake) is an excellent example of a combined rhyolite dome and cinder cone. Panum Crater is a volcanic cone that is part of the Mono-Inyo Craters, a chain of recent volcanic cones south of Mono Lake and east of the Sierra Nevada This page is about a volcanic rock For the ghost town see Rhyolite Nevada, and for the satellite system see Rhyolite/Aquacade. A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep conical Hill of volcanic fragments that accumulate around and downwind from a Volcanic vent.

Conservation efforts

Main article: California Water Wars

In order to provide resources for the growing Los Angeles area, water was diverted from the Owens River. The California Water Wars describes the disputes between Los Angeles, California and the Owens Valley over Water rights The disputes Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Owens River is a River in eastern California in the United States, approximately long In 1941 the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power extended an aqueduct system into the Mono Basin So much water was diverted that evaporation soon exceeded inflow and the surface level of Mono Lake fell rapidly. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over 4 million residents as of 2008 An aqueduct is an artificial channel that is constructed to convey water from one location to another The Mono Basin is an Endorheic basin located East of Yosemite National Park in California, United States. Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e By 1982 the lake was reduced to 37,688 acres (152. 5 km²) having lost 31 percent of its 1941 surface area. As a result alkaline sands and once-submerged tufa towers became exposed and Negit Island became landbridged exposing the nests of gulls to predators (chiefly coyotes) and forcing the breeding colony to abandon the site. In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal Tufa article--> Tufa is the name for an unusual geological Gulls (often informally Seagulls) are birds in the family Laridae The coyote (kaɪˈoʊti ˈkaɪoʊt ( Canis latrans) also known as the prairie wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora

In 1976, University of California, Davis graduate student David Gaines earned his master's degree studying the Mono Lake ecosystem and was instrumental in alerting the public of the effects of the lower water level. The University of California Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, or just UCD, is a public coeducational university located in the city of Davis, Gaines formed the Mono Lake Committee in 1978 and joined with the Audubon Society to fight a now famous court battle to protect Mono Lake through state public trust laws. The Mono Lake Committee (MLC is an Environmental organization based in Lee Vining California in the United States. The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit Environmental organization dedicated to conservancy While these efforts have resulted in positive change the surface level is still below historic levels and exposed shorelines are a source of significant alkali dust during periods of high wind. In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal

Owens Lake, which once sustained a healthy ecosystem, is now a dry lake bed during dry years due to water diversion. Owens Lake is a large Dry lake in eastern California 's Owens Valley, located about south of Lone Pine California. Mono Lake was spared this fate when the California State Water Resources Control Board issued an order to protect Mono Lake and its tributary streams on September 28, 1994. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Since that time, the lake level has steadily risen. In 1941 the surface level was at 6,417 feet (1,956 m) above sea level and as of August 2006 it was at 6,385 feet (1,946 m). August 2006 was a month with thirty-one days On August 10, an alleged plot to detonate ten Airliners over the Atlantic Ocean was revealed to ^[3] The lake level of 6,392 feet (1,948 m) above sea level is the goal, a goal made more difficult during years of drought in the American West.

Limnology

The lake contains approximately 280 million tons of dissolved salts, with the salinity varying on the amount of water in the lake at any given time. Mount Dana is a Mountain on the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park in the U Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. Before 1941, the salinity was approximately 50 grams per liter (g/l) (compared to a value of 31. 5 g/l for the world's oceans). In January 1982, when the lake reached its lowest level of 6,372 feet (1,942 m), the salinity had nearly doubled to 99 g/l. In 2002, it was measured at 78 g/l and is expected to stabilize at an average 69 g/l as the lake replenishes over the next 20 years. ^[4]

An important aspect of the end of water diversions was an onset of "meromixis" in Mono Lake. A meromictic Lake has layers of water which do not intermix In ordinary " Holomictic " lakes at least once each year there is a physical mixing of the surface ^[5] Prior to the end of water diversions, Mono Lake was typically "monomictic," which means that at least once each year the deeper waters and the shallower waters of the lake mixed thoroughly, thus bring oxygen and other nutrients to the deeper waters. In meromictic lakes, the deeper waters do not undergo this mixing. In meromictic lakes, the deeper layers are more saline than the water near the surface, and are typically nearly devoid of oxygen. As a result, meromixis greatly changes a lake's ecology.

Mono Lake has undergone meromictic periods prior to the one commencing in 1994, and this most recent meromictic period brought on by the end of water diversions ended by 2004. ^[6]

Ecology

The hypersalinity and high alkalinity (pH=10 or equivalent to 2. 5 grams of NaOH per liter of water^[7]) of the lake, means that no fish are native to the lake. Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature An attempt by the California Department of Fish and Game to stock the lake failed. The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG is a department within the Government of California, falling under its parent California Resources Agency. The lake is famous for the Mono Lake brine shrimp, Artemia monica, a tiny species of brine shrimp, no bigger than a thumbnail, that are found nowhere else on earth. Brine shrimp are a species of aquatic Crustaceans of the Genus Artemia. Brine shrimp are a species of aquatic Crustaceans of the Genus Artemia. During the warmer summer months, an estimated 4-6 trillion brine shrimp inhabit the lake. The brine shrimp feed on microscopic planktonic algae which reproduce rapidly during winter and early spring after winter runoff brings nutrients to the surface layer of water. By March the lake is "as green as pea soup" with photosynthesizing algae. ^[8] Brine shrimp has no food value for humans, but is a staple for birds of the region. Also an important food source, alkali flies ("Ephydra hians") live along the shores of the lake and walk underwater encased in small air bubbles to graze and to lay eggs. Ephydridae ( shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of Insects in the order Diptera. The whole food chain of the lake is based on the high population of single-celled algae present in the warm shallow waters. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms

Mono Lake is a vital resting and eating stop for migratory shorebirds and has been recognized as a site of international importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Waders, called shorebirds in North America (where "wader" is used to refer to long-legged wading Birds such as Storks and The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network is a conservation strategy targeting Shorebirds in the Americas launched in 1985 ^[9] Nearly 2,000,000 waterbirds, including 35 species of shorebirds, use Mono Lake to rest and eat for at least part of the year. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Some shorebirds that depend on the resources of Mono Lake include American Avocets, Killdeer and sandpipers. The American Avocet ( Recurvirostra americana) is a large Wader in the Avocet and Stilt family Recurvirostridae. The killdeer ( Charadrius vociferus) is a medium-sized Plover. "Sandpiper" redirects here For the 1965 film see The Sandpiper. Over 1. 5 million Eared Grebes and phalaropes use Mono Lake during their long migrations. The Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, known in North America as the Eared Grebe, is a member of the Grebe family of water birds A phalarope is any of three living Species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus Phalaropus of the Bird family Scolopacidae

Late every summer tens of thousands of Wilson's Phalaropes and Red-necked Phalaropes arrive from their nesting grounds, and feed until they continue their migration to South America or the tropical oceans respectively. Tufa article--> Tufa is the name for an unusual geological The Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor, is a small Wader. The Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus, is a small Wader. ^[1]

In addition to migratory birds, a few species spend several months to nest at Mono Lake. Mono Lake is the second largest nesting population of California Gulls, second only to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. After abandoning the landbridged Negit Island in the late 1970s, California gulls have moved to some nearby islets and have established new, if less protected nesting sites. Cornell University and Point Reyes Bird Observatory have continued the study of nesting populations on Mono Lake that was begun over 20 years ago. Snowy Plovers also arrive at Mono Lake each spring to nest along the remote eastern shores.

Important species residing in Mono Lake

Lake alkali flies

Larus californicus

• Alkali fly (Ephydra hians)
• Brine shrimp (Artemia monica)
• California Gull (Larus californicus)

Native people of Mono Lake

The early people of Mono Lake were called the Kutzadika'a, who were the Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiutes. Mono Lake Paiutes foraged alkali fly larvae, called kutsavi in their language. Mono Lake was also referred to as Teniega Bah. The origin of the term "Mono Lake" is unknown. ^[10] Apparently, "Mono" is a Yokut term for "fly eater". The Yokuts (also known as Mariposans) are an Ethnic group of Native Americans that live in central and northern California. The Kutzadika'a did not use the term "Mono".

During early contact the first known chief was Captain John. He was also referred to by the Paiute names of Shibana or Poko Tucket. Captain John was the son of another Paiute named the older Captain John.

The Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiutes would also camp yearly at Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley, and along the Merced River to gather acorns and different plant species. History The name "Hetch Hetchy" comes from a grass with edible seeds that grows in the valley in the Native American Sierra Miwok language. Yosemite Valley (joʊˈsɛməti yoh-SEM-it-ee) is a world-famous scenic location in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Merced River (pronounced "mer-SED" is in California. Its headwaters are in the southern half of Yosemite National Park. The acorn is the nut of the Oak tree (genera Quercus, Lithocarpus and Cyclobalanopsis, in the

Cultural history

In Mark Twain's Roughing It (1872), chapter 38 and chapter 39 provide a humorous but informative early description of Mono Lake in its natural condition in the 1860s. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist Roughing It is semi-autobiographical Travel literature written by American humorist Mark Twain.

The general appearance of the lake and surrounding mountains circa 1973 can also be seen in the film High Plains Drifter. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 Revisionist Western film with a hint of supernatural horror directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.

The Diver, a photo taken by Storm Thorgerson for Pink Floyd's album Wish You Were Here, features what appears to be a man diving into a lake, creating no ripples. Storm Thorgerson (born 1944 in Potters Bar, which was in Middlesex at the time and is now in Hertfordshire) is an English Graphic designer. Pink Floyd are Wish You Were Here is a Concept album by Pink Floyd. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios between January and July 1975 and released on 15 September The photo was taken at Mono Lake, and the tufa towers are a prominent part of the landscape. The effect was actually created when the diver performed a handstand underwater until the ripples dissipated.

Cinderella filmed the iconic power-ballad "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" at this scenic spot. Cinderella is an American rock band from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. " Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone " is a Power ballad written and performed by the Glam metal band Cinderella, from their second album

See also

• Inyo and Mono Craters
• Map of Long Valley-Mono area
• Photo of glacial Mono Lake's shoreline
• Photo of Mono Lake Visitor's Center
• Mono Lake as seen from 32,000 feet (9,800 m)
• "High Plains Drifter" film (1973) Main filming site
• Monolake

References

External links

• Mono Lake website
• Mono Lake Visitor Guide
• World Lake Database entry for Mono Lake
• Ecoscenario: Mono Lake - with photos
• Photos of Mono Lake - Terra Galleria
• Photos of Mono Lake - Joe Decker/Rock Slide Photography
• Photos of Mono Lake - Jim Stimson
• Photos of Mono Lake - IanAndWendy.com
• Spherical Panorama of Mono Lake and Tufas - Carel Struycken
• Joe Dorward's website with a panoramic view of Mono Lake from Conway Summit
• Landsat image of Mono Lake

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