The amount of water evaporated from surface water, plants and soil in the Lake Tahoe Basin-evapotranspiration-is one of the biggest areas of uncertainty affecting the area's total water budget, a significant factor contributing to the mountain lake's legendary clarity. This summer, four teams of high school science teachers and their students will try to reduce that uncertainty through the Desert Research Institute's Nevada Science Teachers Enhancement Program (N-STEP).
Under the direction of Dr. Gayle Dana of DRI's Hydrologic Sciences Division, the students will analyze loss of water from different types of vegetation and land topography, as well as from the lake itself. The study will take into account the climatic factors that affect evapotranspiration in the alpine setting, and will involve field experiments, database information sources, and visits to local, state and federal agencies and environmental consulting firms that can add to their research.
The three-week intensive research effort includes teams from Advanced Technical Academy, Horizon North and Valley high schools in Las Vegas, and from Green Valley High School in Henderson. The field project, running from July 6 to 26, follows an extensive seminar series to learn scientific procedure.
DRI Research Professor Paul Buck, director of the N-STEP project, said the Tahoe study is the second of three such field experiences this summer, and the second year of a three-year program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Another team studying archeological records of the Anasazi people in southwest Utah started June 1, and a third team will conduct a vegetation-mapping project in the Jarbidge Mountains near Elko, Nevada beginning July 31.
The teams from all three projects will analyze the results of their research this fall, preparing reports on their findings. Special project web sites will be established enabling students to communicate their results and conclusions among participating high schools and all interested parties.