An important characteristic of Mono Lake is that it is a closed lake.
This means that water does not flow out of the surface of the lake.
Water can only escape the lake if it evaporates or is lost to groundwater.
This may cause closed lakes to become very saline.
The lake level of closed lakes will be strongly dependent on changes in climate.
Hence, studying lake levels can reveal information about climate change in the past and present.
Geochemists have observed that carbonates from closed lakes appear to have δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O (carbon and oxygen isotopes) with covariant trends.
It has been proposed that this covariation occurs because of coupled evaporation and CO₂ degassing.
The lighter isotopes, ¹²C and ¹⁶O, will preferentially go to the gas phase with increased evaporation.
As a result, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in the remaining lake both become increasingly heavy.
Other factors such as biology, atmospheric properties, and freshwater compositions and flow may also influence δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in lakes.
These factors must be stable to achieve a covariant δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O trend.
As such, correlations between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C can be used to infer developments in the lake stability and hydrological characteristics through time.
It is important to note that this correlation is not directly related to the lake level itself but rather the rate of change in lake level.
Three different studies with three different methods provide different resolutions to understanding the lake level history of Mono Lake (read below).
An important characteristic of Mono Lake is that it is a closed lake. This means that water does not flow out of the surface of the lake. Water can only escape the lake if it evaporates or is lost to groundwater. This may cause closed lakes to become very saline. The lake level of closed lakes will be strongly dependent on changes in climate. Hence, studying lake levels can reveal information about climate change in the past and present. Geochemists have observed that carbonates from closed lakes appear to have δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O (carbon and oxygen isotopes) with covariant trends. It has been proposed that this covariation occurs because of coupled evaporation and CO₂ degassing. The lighter isotopes, ¹²C and ¹⁶O, will preferentially go to the gas phase with increased evaporation. As a result, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in the remaining lake both become increasingly heavy. Other factors such as biology, atmospheric properties, and freshwater compositions and flow may also influence δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in lakes. These factors must be stable to achieve a covariant δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O trend. As such, correlations between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C can be used to infer developments in the lake stability and hydrological characteristics through time. It is important to note that this correlation is not directly related to the lake level itself but rather the rate of change in lake level. Three different studies with three different methods provide different resolutions to understanding the lake level history of Mono Lake (read below).
Mono Lake