Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:21:25.316Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Paleoclimatic Significance of Lake-Level Fluctuations in the Lahontan Basin1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

L.V. Benson
L.V. Benson*
Affiliation:
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An energy flux balance model has been developed which treats evaporation as a function of air temperature, surface water temperature, precipitable water aloft, the amount, height, and type of sky cover, and the optical air mass. The model has been used to estimate the mean historical evaporation rate for Pyramid Lake, Nevada, using as input climatic data from the Reno area averaged over the period 1950–1975. Estimated and measured values of the mean annual evaporation rate were found to be in good agreement. The model was used to simulate changes in the level, the surface area, and the volume of paleo Lake Lahontan. In particular, possible climatic states responsible for past high stands (1270 and 1330 m) were investigated. A conservative range of discharge values was used in the calculations. Results of the simulations indicate the fundamental importance of sky cover in the creation and destruction of large lake systems.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , November 1981 , pp. 390 - 403
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

This report was prepared with partial support from the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract W-7405-ENG-48.

References

Adams, W.P., Lasenby, D.C. 1978. The role of ice and snow in lake heat budgets. Limnology and Oceanography 23. 1025–1028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antevs, E. 1952. Cenozoic climates of the Great Basin. Geol. Res. 40. 94–108.Google Scholar
Benson, L.V. 1978. Fluctuation in the level of pluvial Lake Lahontan during the last 40,000 years. Quaternary Research 9. 300–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brakenridge, G.R. 1978. Evidence for a cold, dry full-glacial climate in the American southwest. Quaternary Research 9. 22–40.Google Scholar
Broecker, W.S., Kaufman, A. 1965. Radiocarbon chronology of Lake Lahontan and Lake Bonneville II. Great Basin. Geological Society of America Bulletin 76. 537–566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broecker, W.S., Orr, P.C. 1958. Radiocarbon chronology of Lake Lahontan and Lake Bonneville. Geological Society of America Bulletin 69. 1009–1032.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broecker, W.S., Walton, A. 1959. The geochemistry of C14 in fresh-water systems. Geochmica et Cosmochimica Acta 16. 15–38.Google Scholar
Climatological Data, National Summary 1950–1974. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Data Service, National Climatic Center, Federal Building Asheville, N.C.Google Scholar
Curry, R.R. 1969. Holocene climatic glacial history of the central Sierra Nevada. Geological Society of America Special Paper 123. 1–48.Google Scholar
Davies, J.A., Schertzer, W., Nunez, M. 1975. Estimating global solar radiation. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 9. 33–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galloway, R.W. 1970. The full-glacial climate in the southwestern United States. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 60. 245–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gates, W.L. 1976. Modeling the ice-age climate. Science 191. 1138–1144.Google Scholar
Gilbert, G.K. 1890. Lake Bonneville. United States Geological Survey Monograph 1. 375 Google Scholar
Harbeck, G.E. Jr., Dennis, P.E., Kannon, F.W., Anderson, L.J., Marciano, J.J., Kohlen, M.A. 1954. Water-loss investigations: Lake Hefner studies. In “Technical Report.” United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 269.Google Scholar
Harbeck, G.E. Jr., Kohler, M.A., Koberg, G.E. 1958. Water-loss investigations: Lake Mead Studies. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 298and othersGoogle Scholar
Harding, S.T. 1965. Recent variations in the water supply of the western Great Basin. University of California Archive Series Report 16 Google Scholar
Jones, J.C. 1925. The geologic history of Lake Lahontan. In “Quaternary climates.” Carn. Inst. Wash. Publ. 352. 1–49.Google Scholar
Kasten, F. 1966. A new table and approximation formula for the relative optical air mass. Archiv fur meteorologie, geophysik, und bioklimatologie Serie B. Allgemeine und biologische klimatologie band 14. 206–2232. heftGoogle Scholar
Leopold, L.B. 1951. Pleistocene climate in New Mexico. American Journal of Science 249. 152–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
List, R.J. 1951. Smithsonian Meteorological Tables. 6th edition Publication 4014 of the Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Mifflin, M., Wheat, M. 1979. Pluvial lakes and estimated pluvial climates of Nevada. Nev. Bur. Mines and Geol. Bull. 94 Google Scholar
Morrison, R.B., Frye, J.C. 1965. Correlation of the Middle and Late Quaternary successions of the Lake Lahontan, Lake Bonneville, Rocky Mountain (Wasatch Range)., Southern Great Plains, and Eastern Midwest Areas. Report 9 of the Nevada Bureau of Mines Google Scholar
Peng, T.-H., Goddard, J.G., Broecker, W.S. 1978. A direct comparison of 14C and 230Th ages at Searles Lake, California. Quaternary Research 9. 319–329.Google Scholar
Reeves, C.C. Jr. 1973. The full-glacial climate of the southern high plains, West Texas. Journal of Geology 81. 693–704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reitan, C.H. 1963. Surface dew point and water vapor aloft. Journal of Applied Meteorology 2. 766–779.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, I.C. 1885. Geological history of Lake Lahontan. United States Geological Survey Monograph 11 Google Scholar
Scott, W.E. 1980. New interpretations of the late Quaternary history of Lake Bonneville, western United States. In “Abstracts of the 6th biennial meeting of the Am. Quaternary Assoc.” 168–169.Google Scholar
Sellers, W.D. 1965 Physical Climatology University of Chicago Press Chicago.Google Scholar
Sigler, W.F. 1978 Pyramid Lake Ecological Study W.F. Sigler Logan, Utah.Google Scholar
Snyder, C.T., Langbein, W.B. 1962. The Pleistocene Lake in Spring Valley, Nevada, and its paleoclimatic implications. J. Geophys. Res. 67. 2385–2394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, G.I. 1968. Late-Quaternary geologic and climatic history of Searles Lake. Southeastern California. In Means of Correlation of Quaternary Successions” Morrison, R.B., Wright, H.E. Jr. University of Utah Press Salt Lake City, Utah. 293 Vol. 8: Proceedings VII Congress International Association for Quaternary ResearchGoogle Scholar
Smith, G.I. 1979. Subsurface stratigraphy and geochemistry of Late Quaternary evaporites, Searles Lake, California. U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 1043 Google Scholar
Wahrhaftig, C., Birman, J.H. 1956. The Quaternary of the Pacific Mountain system in California. In “The Quaternary of the United States.” Wright, Frey 299–339 Princeton University Press Princeton, N.J.Google Scholar
Weast, R.C. 1976. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 57th ed. CRS Press Cleveland, Ohio.Google Scholar