Alkali Lake (Oregon)

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
Alkali Lake, a dry lakebed in Lake County, Oregon
Alkali Lake dry lakebed and surrounding desert
Location of lake in Oregon
Location of lake in Oregon
Alkali Lake
LocationLake County, Oregon
Coordinates42°58′38″N 120°01′41″W
Lake typeseasonal, alkali
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface elevation4,332 ft (1,320 m)

Alkali Lake is thought to have reached a prehistoric maximum depth of 270.7 feet (82.5 meters) and covered about 1,448.4 square miles (3,751 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 in its seasonal waters[2] 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)
0.54
(14)
0.77
(20)
0.84
(21)
1.22
(31)
1
(25)
0.48
(12)
0.64
(16)
0.48
(12)
0.69
(18)
0.73
(19)
0.66
(17)
8.65
(220)
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
(0.25)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.2
(0.51)
2
(5.1)
3.8
(9.7)
14.4
(37)
Average precipitation days 5 5 7 6 6 5 2 3 3 4 6 6 58
Source: [4]

See also

References

  1. US Fish & Wildlife Service website
  2. McArthur, p. 10
  3. "Alkali Lake: 6/24/2003".
  4. "ALKALI LAKE, OR (350118)". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved November 22, 2015.

Works cited


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