TERC in the News

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center welcomes 50th AmeriCorps member
The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) announced a significant milestone in its collaboration with the Sierra Nevada Alliance AmeriCorps Partnership program: the arrival of its 50th AmeriCorps member. This achievement underscores the ongoing commitment of UC Davis TERC and the Sierra Nevada Alliance Program to fostering workforce development, environmental stewardship, education, and conservation in the Tahoe Basin and beyond. ...more

The Problem With Microplastics
While photos of littered beaches and floating garbage patches are unsettling, perhaps the most problematic plastic is barely visible to the naked eye. Called microplastics — chunks less than 5 millimeters across — these bits have been detected everywhere from Arctic sea ice to national parks. ...more

How winter plays important role in keeping Lake Tahoe blue
Keep Tahoe Blue is more than just a slogan for researchers at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) who are tasked with taking regular surveys of water clarity and the health of Lake Tahoe. TERC staff research associate Brandon Berry is part of the team that launches those regular research surveys out on the lake, conducting what he describes as a "health check-up." ...more

Community invited to farewell celebration for UC Davis Underwater Lake Tahoe Lounge at Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences
Community members, volunteers, and docents are invited to come together for a special farewell celebration for the beloved UC Davis Underwater Lake Tahoe Lounge, an immersive space at the UC Davis Tahoe Science Center created to give visitors a unique, in-depth view of the diverse life beneath the surface of Lake Tahoe. This gathering will be held on December 13, 2024, from 4-6 p.m. at the Tahoe Science Center in Incline Village, allowing the community to say goodbye before the exhibit closes. ...more

Stephanie Hampton appointed Director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center
The University of California, Davis, Office of Research announced the appointment of Stephanie Hampton as the director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. Hampton, an accomplished aquatic ecologist and administrator who currently serves as the deputy director of Bisophere Sciences and Engineering at Carnegie Science, will join TERC in the spring of 2025. ...more

Tahoe Film Fest celebrates a decade of bringing award-winning films to North Lake Tahoe
The Tahoe Film Fest is celebrating a decade of showcasing exceptional, award-winning films from around the globe in the breathtaking setting of North Lake Tahoe. This year’s festival will take place from December 5-8, 2024, inviting film enthusiasts and community members to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of storytelling and cultural exchange....more

Tahoe sees some of the best and worst water clarity in 2023; what does that mean?
Lake Tahoe experienced its best water clarity in over 40 years during the winter of 2023, but summer brought some of the murkiest water on record, according to a report released Wednesday. The annual clarity report from the University of California, Davis' Tahoe Environmental Research Center showed Tahoe had its 10th best year for water quality since record keeping began and the best quality since 1983 with visibility at 91.8 feet. ...more

Annual Report Reveals a Decline in Lake Tahoe’s Water Clarity
The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency have released the annual Lake Tahoe Clarity Report, revealing that the average clarity of the lake dropped to 68.2 feet in 2023, down from 71.9 feet in 2022. Clarity is measured by how deep a 10-inch white disk can be lowered into the water before becoming invisible from the surface. ...more

Annual Lake Tahoe report shows mixed clarity with clear winters, murky summers
Lake Tahoe, famed for its iconic blue waters, continued its years-long trend of improving clarity during the winter and deteriorating in the summer, that's according to the annual clarity report. The report, which was released on Tuesday by the University of California, Davis - Tahoe Environmental Research Center, found that winter lake conditions ...more

Annual Report on State of Lake Tahoe Shows Recent Impacts, Long-Term Trends
The annual “State of the Lake” report from the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis, released today (Aug. 8), shows how long-term climate trends continue to affect the iconic lake in complex ways. The report also describes how research at Lake Tahoe relates to work at other lakes in the U.S. and worldwide, including the development of new technology, and how citizens are contributing to preserving Tahoe’s natural beauty. ...more

2024 State of the Lake Report
The Tahoe Environmental Research Center at UC Davis has released its annual State of the Lake Report. It shows how long-term climate trends continue to affect Lake Tahoe in complex ways. After monitoring conditions of Lake Tahoe, researchers say that one of the biggest highlights in the report is the clarity of the lake. ...more

Lake Tahoe Clarity Report Shows Highs and Lows of 2023
The clarity of Lake Tahoe’s famed blue waters in 2023 continued its years-long trend of improving during the winter and deteriorating during the summer. The annual clarity report, released today by the University of California, Davis – Tahoe Environmental Research Center...more

Taking a deep dive into Lake Tahoe: Tahoe Environmental Research Center a fundamental resource for Lake Tahoe’s future
The Lake Tahoe basin’s landscape is ever-changing, hosting a full four seasons year-round. From warm summer days basking in alpine sunshine, to historical snowfall during winter seasons, Lake Tahoe is coined the jewel of the Sierra Nevada Mountains for good reason. ...more

Did you know? Tools for tracking Lake Tahoe’s clarity were invented at the Vatican
Researchers with UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center have been tracking water clarity for more than 50 years. But the method for taking those measurements can be traced back to the 1800s in Vatican City...more

UC Davis releases the 2023 Tahoe: State of the Lake Report
The 2023 Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, released by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), reveals significant changes in Lake Tahoe's ecosystem. The report, based on data collected in 2022, highlights unprecedented biological shifts and serves as a vital resource for restoration, management, and monitoring decisions...more

Clarity, Changing Food Web Detailed in Annual Lake Tahoe Report
The Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC, at the University of California, Davis, released its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake ...more

Tahoe’s water has improved after record winter — clarity won’t last, annual report says
Lake Tahoe is in a season of change, researchers said in their 2023 State of the Lake report. Clarity is improving but other big shifts are. ...more

Lake Tahoe report says clarity improving, but microplastic pollution remains an issue
A recent report by a research center at the University of California, Davis states that microplastic pollution is an issue in Lake Tahoe. ...more

'2022 was a year of remarkable changes' | Lake Tahoe clarity improved, but microplastics remain a problem
The 2023 Tahoe: State of the Lake Report highlights the improvement in lake clarity which on average hovered near 72 feet. ...more

UC Davis releases the 2023 Tahoe: State of the Lake Report
The report, released by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, reveals significant changes in Lake Tahoe's ecosystem. ...more

Lake Tahoe's Clarity the Best It's Been Since 1980s
In 2022, Lake Tahoe was the clearest it has been since the 1980s, due in part to a resurgence of the lake's native zooplankton, finds the UC. ...more

Scientists: Lake Tahoe is regaining legendary clarity | Lifestyle | uniondemocrat.com
At midnight, researchers aboard the vessel John Le Conte — an old 37-foot diesel-powered salmon trawler — dropped a net. ...more

This tiny organism might muck up Lake Tahoe’s crystal-clear waters
The only boat on Lake Tahoe cruised through the dead of night toward the West Shore. Its pilot throttled down near a GPS marker on his navigation screen, then went aft to lower a long mesh net off the craft’s stern to a depth of 300 feet. ...more

Lake Tahoe is regaining its legendary clarity. This mysterious environmental shift may be helping
At midnight, researchers aboard the vessel John Le Conte — an old 37-foot diesel-powered salmon trawler — dropped a net into icy cold waters. What was surprising wasn’t what they caught. It’s what they didn’t: Invasive shrimp, which have long held sway over America’s most famous alpine lake, upsetting its balanced ecosystem. ...more

Drone Monitoring Tackles Growing Algae Threat to California's Famous Lake Tahoe
Brandon Berry has an enviable job. In the morning he flies a drone to survey Lake Tahoe water clarity and in the afternoon he dives into the lake to sample water quality. This hands-on research has its fitness benefits and it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful office. ...more

Lake Tahoe's alpine waters are the clearest in decades. Here's why
It's never been a better time to plan a trip to Lake Tahoe. The gorgeous crystalline waters in North America's largest alpine lake are the clearest they've been since the 1980s, according to a new study - but the effect may only last a couple of years. ...more

Saving Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe’s waters are world-famous for their clarity and beautiful Sierra setting—they also provide key environmental and economic resources to Northern California. But with climate change and other human impacts degrading both the lake and its surrounding basin, urgent action is needed to preserve this jewel of the Sierra Nevada. ...more

Rare Ice Sheet Forms on a Lake Tahoe Bay
It appears to be the first time in three decades that Emerald Bay, Calif., an inlet on Lake Tahoe, has frozen over, leaving some locals in awe. ...more

California storms have done wonders for Lake Tahoe's famous clarity
Lake Tahoe has gotten murkier over the years because of pollution, algae and other issues, but it’s currently the clearest it’s been in a long time – though that's unlikely to last. ...more

Amplifying Resilience to Drought in the Lake Tahoe Basin
Land managers are at a critical moment in how to best manage resources for adaptation and uncertainty. In particular, the selection of seed and source material, either local or non-local, for restoration, has become a fundamental and much-debated decision for resource and land manager. ...more

How Citizen Science Can Keep Us from Loving Tahoe to Death
The Tahoe Basin is a big, geographic area with diverse and complex ecosystems that all need to be studied, researched, and monitored. This means that there is just too much area to cover for the research teams dedicated to doing the work. To keep eyes on the lake and its surroundings, researchers need residents and visitors to become citizen scientists. ...more

Water and Drought Experts
Experts from the University of California, Davis, are available to media to discuss water-supply issues affecting California, from droughts and floods to atmospheric rivers. These include faculty and staff from the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, School of Law, and others. ...more

UC Davis Environmental Research Center fundamental at Lake Tahoe
The 72-mile circumference of Lake Tahoe is home to a variety of native plants and wildlife and endures a full, four seasons each calendar year. With Lake Tahoe hosting mild summers, frigid, snowy winters, and even natural disasters such as wildfire — the largest freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada region has undergone substantial environmental change. ...more

Tahoe tourism: How scientists and travel groups are working together protect the lake
The Lake Tahoe region has natural beauty to see all year round. And each year, the lake and surrounding mountains seem to be getting more and more popular. It’s estimated that close to 15 million people visit the area each year. That’s a big boom for an economy that is built on tourism dollars, but that huge influx of people raises concern for the health of the environment. ...more