Alkali Lake (Oregon)

Alkali Lake

Alkali Lake dry lakebed and surrounding desert
Location Lake County, Oregon
Coordinates 42°58′38″N 120°01′41″W / 42.97722°N 120.02806°W / 42.97722; -120.02806Coordinates: 42°58′38″N 120°01′41″W / 42.97722°N 120.02806°W / 42.97722; -120.02806
Lake type seasonal, alkali
Basin countries United States
Surface elevation 4,332 ft (1,320 m)

Alkali Lake is a geographic sink in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is in the Alkali Subbasin of the Summer Lake Basin watershed in southeastern Oregon,[1] located 26 miles east of Christmas Valley, Oregon, northeast of Lake Abert,[2] to the immediate west of Abert Rim and Highway 395.

Alkali Lake is thought to have reached a prehistoric maximum depth of 270.7 feet (82.5 meters) and covered about 1448.4 square miles (2,331 square kilometers). Since then, its water level has varied, with a drying trend.[1] Notable features include dissolved alkaline salts averaging 10% of total brine weight[2] in its seasonal waters and a nearby chemical disaster, Alkali Lake Chemical Waste Dump.

Plants

Plants known to occur in the dunes immediately north of the lake include:[3]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alkali Lake has a steppe climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Climate data for Alkali Lake
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 63
(17)		 72
(22)		 78
(26)		 88
(31)		 97
(36)		 100
(38)		 108
(42)		 105
(41)		 101
(38)		 90
(32)		 75
(24)		 69
(21)		 108
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 42.2
(5.7)		 46.1
(7.8)		 51.2
(10.7)		 59.1
(15.1)		 69.1
(20.6)		 77.9
(25.5)		 87.7
(30.9)		 86.4
(30.2)		 78.1
(25.6)		 65.8
(18.8)		 49.9
(9.9)		 41.9
(5.5)		 63
(17)
Average low °F (°C) 19.2
(−7.1)		 22.5
(−5.3)		 25.1
(−3.8)		 28.7
(−1.8)		 35
(2)		 42.2
(5.7)		 46.8
(8.2)		 45.5
(7.5)		 37.1
(2.8)		 29.6
(−1.3)		 24.4
(−4.2)		 18.8
(−7.3)		 31.2
(−0.4)
Record low °F (°C) −38
(−39)		 −26
(−32)		 −11
(−24)		 6
(−14)		 4
(−16)		 23
(−5)		 30
(−1)		 26
(−3)		 14
(−10)		 −2
(−19)		 −10
(−23)		 −33
(−36)		 −38
(−39)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.61
(15.5)		 0.54
(13.7)		 0.77
(19.6)		 0.84
(21.3)		 1.22
(31)		 1
(30)		 0.48
(12.2)		 0.64
(16.3)		 0.48
(12.2)		 0.69
(17.5)		 0.73
(18.5)		 0.66
(16.8)		 8.65
(219.7)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.9
(7.4)		 1.8
(4.6)		 1.8
(4.6)		 1.4
(3.6)		 0.5
(1.3)		 0.1
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.2
(0.5)		 2
(5)		 3.8
(9.7)		 14.4
(36.6)
Average precipitation days 5 5 7 6 6 5 2 3 3 4 6 6 58
Source: [4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 US Fish & Wildlife Service website
  2. 1 2 McArthur, p. 10
  3. ↑ http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/bloomtime/centralo/03/30.htm
  4. ↑ "ALKALI LAKE, OR (350118)". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved November 22, 2015.

Works cited

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