Location

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Start Date

3-8-2010 9:00 AM

End Date

3-8-2010 12:00 PM

Description

Big Soda Lake, Nevada, is a terminal, volcanic crater lake whose water level is maintained exclusively by groundwater. The crater is composed of volcanic, basaltic sand and the lake is ~60 m deep (Rush, 1972). The lake is meromictic with a distinct chemocline (Kimmel et al. 1978). The chemocline currently rests at ~40 m and is reflected in both specific conductivity and salinity measurements. Below the chemocline a redox gradient develops with highly reducing conditions. The pH is consistent throughout the depth of the lake at ~9.5, proving that it is alkaline in nature. It is further stratified by both a thermocline and oxycline. The existing conditions at Big Soda Lake make it the perfect setting for studying a diverse array of microbial activities and their interactions within a varying geochemical regime. Our goal was to perform an observational survey of Soda Lake to infer the inherent biogeochemical processes.

Keywords

Alkali lakes; Biogeochemical cycles; Biogeochemistry; Crater lakes; Nevada – Big Soda Lake

Disciplines

Biogeochemistry | Earth Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Language

English

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Aug 3rd, 9:00 AM Aug 3rd, 12:00 PM

Biogeochemical investigation of Soda Lake

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Big Soda Lake, Nevada, is a terminal, volcanic crater lake whose water level is maintained exclusively by groundwater. The crater is composed of volcanic, basaltic sand and the lake is ~60 m deep (Rush, 1972). The lake is meromictic with a distinct chemocline (Kimmel et al. 1978). The chemocline currently rests at ~40 m and is reflected in both specific conductivity and salinity measurements. Below the chemocline a redox gradient develops with highly reducing conditions. The pH is consistent throughout the depth of the lake at ~9.5, proving that it is alkaline in nature. It is further stratified by both a thermocline and oxycline. The existing conditions at Big Soda Lake make it the perfect setting for studying a diverse array of microbial activities and their interactions within a varying geochemical regime. Our goal was to perform an observational survey of Soda Lake to infer the inherent biogeochemical processes.