Tahoe’s Famed Blue Color Is Marred
Lake Tahoe has some of the deepest blue water found anywhere on Earth. As a former Crater Lake park ranger, I find Oregon’s national park to be more impressive personally. But I don’t begrudge those who put Tahoe in the top spot for beauty.
The problem is the Caldor Fire has ruined all that. Tahoe’s famed blue hue relies on two factors: the lake’s clarity and sunlight. The lack of particulate matter in the lake allows water to reflect more blue light back to your eye, hence the shocking color. But the Caldor Fire has blocked out the sun with thick smoke. With no incoming light, the lake appears like a flat mud pit.
In an added climate twist, the lake has been losing its clarity in recent years. The snowpack has shrunk in the Sierras in recent years, increasing the lake’s temperature. That can put a cap on the lake that reduces deep water mixing that normally improves clarity, and it can foster algae growth as well.
