Researchers Ask Public For Old Photos Of Lake Tahoe Algae

(AP) — With all of their modern scientific equipment and state-of-the-art computer models, researchers trying to better understand the effect of algae growth on Lake Tahoe are using another to aid in their mission — old photo albums.

Experts at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center said in an annual report last week that the mountain lake is getting warmer and the water clarity has worsened.

The Sierra Sun reports, however, that what is less clear is the trend in long-term algae growth.

UC Davis water resources professor Geoff Schladow says scientific data is limited because researchers have measured Tahoe's algae growth regularly only since the 2000s.

He says they're reaching out to the public to find old photographs of the lake to help determine the kind of algae levels that used to be the norm.