Mono Lake (August 29, 2021)

Mono Lake is part of the aqueduct system for LA, 360 miles to the south. So much water was diverted between 1941 and 1990, the lake dropped 45 vertical feet.  As a result, the formerly submerged tufa towers became exposed, the water salinity doubled, and an island in the lake became a peninsula, exposing California gulls to predators (such as coyotes), and forcing the gull colony to abandon this site.

Tufa towers have been described as fossilized underwater springs. They form from fresh underwater springs that contain calcium carbonate, a mineral in limestone. The tufa form in a chemical process occurring when the calcium in the spring water encounters the brine in Mono Lake, which is three times saltier than the ocean.

After 10 years of litigation, in 1994 LA was ordered to restore 25 feet of Mono Lake's level by decreasing diversion into its aqueduct.  Once restored, the edge of the lake will be at this sign.

Distant dust devil.  Exposed shorelines are a source of significant alkaline dust during of high winds.