UC Davis Underwater Robot Measures Lake Tahoe Climate Change

UC Davis is using an underwater robot with the hopes of understanding how climate change is affecting Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) deployed the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) earlier this month.

Lake Tahoe, Source: Pixabay

"One of the things that's truly unique is the clarity of the water. Understanding the clarity is what drives a lot of the research up here,” UC Davis professor and researcher Alex Forrest said. "Long-term climate change and human effects are making an impact on the lake. And when I say impact, it's not just changing the clarity, but it's changing the dynamics of the ecosystem."

More commonly known as a glider, the autonomous vehicle will coast 150 meters under Lake Tahoe’s surface, going back-and-forth taking measurements.

"It's warming. We know that the warming season is getting longer and longer,” Forrest explained. “This summer we hit a record temperature for the surface temperature in Lake Tahoe."

The glider is unique in that it will coast off the momentum of buoyancy.

The robot will continuously measure the lake’s temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, among other data, broadcasting the information back to researchers.

"It has a satellite phone connection in there. So it will text message its position to us, and update information as it travels across the lake, back-and-forth, for the next couple of months," Forrest explained.

Forrest and the glider just returned from collaborating with other universities and researchers to study Antarctica.

The underwater robot is beneficial in an unparalleled way in Lake Tahoe because it's capable of continuing research in conditions too dangerous for humans.

Read full article: KCRA 3

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Taxonomy

• Ecosystem Management
• Environment
• Ecosystem Management
• Climate Change
• Lake Management
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Climate Change Resilience