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Lake Tahoe research and initiatives

Catch a glimpse at the work happening in Lake Tahoe. For more detailed information, continue further down the page.

State of the Basin Through the Tahoe Science Advisory Council, Institute faculty with input from key agencies and stakeholders developed a State of the Basin report.
Sunset over the west shore of Lake Tahoe
Tahoe Environmental Observatory Network The Tahoe Environmental Observatory Network (TEON) monitors water quality along the lakeshore, while also tracking changes across the Tahoe Basin.
Researchers on a boat taking water samples in the middle of Lake Tahoe.
Lake science From water clarity to ecosystem biology, Institute faculty are there to study how the lake is interconnected.
A scuba diver looks at a sample underwater in Lake Tahoe.
Watersheds, streams, and sensitive ecosystems The forest and streams play a critical role in delivering nutrients and particles to the lake while supporting important biological diversity.
Two researchers sitting on a boat in Lake Tahoe.
Sustainable recreation Researchers at Lake Tahoe are focusing on how to balance recreation with environmental health through science and policy initiatives.
A biker on a bike path near the edge of the lake.
Wildfire and climate impacts Tahoe Institute faculty and students work towards disciplinary and interdisciplinary engagement to solve issues related to wildfire.
Controlled burns in the landscape of Lake Tahoe.
Climate, snow, and weather extremes Faculty from the Institute work on projects studying snowpacks and their effects on Lake Tahoe's water.
Two students look at snow under a magnifying glass outside at Lake Tahoe.
Trash, plastics, and the AT&T cable Emerging issues related to trash and plastics have been of increasing interest.
A hand holding plastics with a Lake Tahoe beach in the background.
Invasive species Researchers from the Institute are working on solutions to prevent and manage the introduction of harmful invasive species at the lake.
A researcher examines a bucket of sand to look for invasive species at Lake Tahoe.
Human health monitoring With support from agencies, Tahoe Institute researchers monitor the nearshore of the lake for harmful bacteria and water quality conditions.
Two researchers inspect the shore of Lake Tahoe for water quality changes.
Science conservation fellowships In partnership with the Tahoe Fund, the Institute offers Science Residency Fellowships for midcareer to senior researchers who want to tackle the grand challenges facing Lake Tahoe.
A group sits around a table discussing research.
Place-based learning The University boasts multiple locations for place-based learning at the lake, from youth education to higher education.
Students walk on the Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe campus.

Tahoe Environmental Observatory Network

The Tahoe Environmental Observatory Network (TEON) monitors water quality along the lakeshore, while also tracking changes across the Tahoe Basin.

Aerial photo of two researchers on a boat in Lake Tahoe taking water samples.

Tahoe in depth

State of the Basin

The State of Basin which includes the climate, watershed, meadows, lake, and streams, is an important collection of information that can assist in decision-making for local projects. Protecting Lake Tahoe requires a fundamental understanding of linkages across these systems while understanding visitation numbers in the Basin. Through the Tahoe Science Advisory Council, Tahoe Institute faculty, with input from key agencies and stakeholders, developed a State of the Basin report for managers engaging with the Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. The report highlights what we know and future research on select topics in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Watersheds, streams, and sensitive ecosystems

The forest and streams play a critical role in delivering nutrients and particles to the lake while supporting important biological diversity like birds, bears, amphibians). Historically, Lake Tahoe has a higher density of predator birds compared to the surrounding region. Interactions like wildfire and climate can enhance the amount of nutrients delivered from the watershed to the lake. Understanding the linkages from watershed, stream, to lake and the resilience of sensitive ecosystems like meadows or the decline of alders or species like white bark pine are key to integrating our understanding of Lake Tahoe.

Lake science

The oldest lake in North America and historically one of the clearest lakes in the world the focus on understanding Lake Tahoe has largely focused on the offshore blue waters of the lake. However, researchers are increasingly recognizing the bottom of the lake and nearshore edges of the lake are changing at an alarming rate. University researchers have conducted initial studies to determine the impact and distribution of invasive species in the lake while trying to understand of the lake’s nearshore. They have led workshops with prominent international scholars that are tackling similar problems so knowledge can be shared with the agencies on how we might tackle nearshore greening.

In addition to understanding the nearshore edge of the lake, researchers are taking a leading role in determining the particles that affect the water clarity of the Lake. Adopting new instruments and tools, researchers are examining the type, quality, and quantity of particles in the lake in the nearshore and offshore environment. Zooplankton can play a key role in governing the offshore and nearshore water quality and clarity dynamics but surprisingly these animals have not been comprehensively studied in the lake since the 1960s. Institute researchers are focusing on understanding of the animal community starting with the first simple step of asking, what and how many zooplankton are in the lake? Where are they located and do they change over time? While the types of fishes (nonnative and native) living in the lake have been known for sometime, there has been limited study of the fish community and their ecological contributions to water quality and ecosystem dynamics. Researchers from the University are examining the current state of the fish community and food web ecology of Lake Tahoe and nearby lakes including Donner and Fallen Leaf Lake.

Wildfire impacts on climate

Wildfires pose significant concerns due to their immediate and long-term harm to the environment, human health, and society. With an increased frequency and severity of wildfires, fueled by climate change and historical forest management practices, it is critical to understand the connections between wildfires and their role in changing the environment while developing policies and programs that allow us to live with wildfire. The Tahoe Institute for Global Sustainability has a number of researchers who address wildfire issues whether planning for wildfire, tracking and understanding changes in wildfire in near-real time, or addressing the impacts from smoke and ash emission during active fires or measuring impacts after wildfires have altered landscapes. Faculty and students work towards disciplinary and interdisciplinary engagement to solve issues related to wildfire.

Wildfire smoke impacts on Lake Tahoe - Caldor and Dixie Fires

Wildfires produces smoke and burnt material that can travel large distances and deposit on Lake Tahoe and its watershed. Researchers with the Institute have been working to understand the impacts of smoke and burning material from the Caldor, Dixie and other fires on Lake Tahoe. Not all smoke or ash that deposits on the lake are created equal.  Through collaborations with Utah State University, U.C. Davis and other institutions, researchers show how the quality of the ash and firebrands impacts the water quality of algal growth. If we are going to protect Lake Tahoe from future wildfires, we need to rethink how the regional and local wildfires will deposit ash and smoke on the lake. 

Fire and Dryland Ecosystems Lab

Dr. Erin Hanan leads the at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV. Her team ventures into coniferous forests in the Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, Idaho Batholith, and Cascade Range to examine how climate change and land management practices contribute to fire hazard. Equally important, they strive to understand how wildfires influence ecosystems and watershed. Their research employs a range of tools and techniques, from examining microbial processes in individual soil cores to modeling entire ecoregions. Through this research, they aim to develops cross-scale, integrative approaches for understanding and responding to emerging challenges in fire science.

Living with Fire

Since its inception, the has created materials for residents that have been shared and applied to fire-prone regions throughout the country. LWF provides resources to homeowners, educators, community groups and firefighting professionals to improve defensible space, ensure homes have proper building materials, manage native and non-native vegetation and prepare for evacuation. Through community outreach events, peer-reviewed publications, social media and television and radio interviews, the LWF team brings the most up-to-date information on wildfire preparedness to residents and others across the country.

Tahoe Living with Fire, an initiative that specifically focuses on the Lake Tahoe Basin, is a collaborative education and outreach program established in 1997 by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, with support from the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. This website is managed jointly by the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Living With Fire (LWF) program.

Wildfire Technology Laboratory

Faculty at the University have created the , whose mission is to bridge the gap between research and real-world operations by creating practical, innovative technology solutions that empower wildfire stakeholders to achieve their objectives. Research spans the wildfire lifecycle, focusing on pre-fire risk assessment and mitigation, active-fire computational modeling and response prediction, and post-fire recovery and resilience.

Climate, snow, and weather extremes

Tahoe Institute faculty and students are currently using field measurements, airborne and satellite remote sensing, and computer simulations to understand how mountain wildfires are changing the hydrology of snowy watersheds from the Sierra Nevada to Alaska. Specifically, research has been examining snow-forest interactions, based on the idea that forests affect snowpacks and snowpacks affect forests. Forests intercept snow, deposit forest litter on the snowpack surface, and shade the snow – all of which influence snow accumulation and melt patterns.

Faculty from the Tahoe Institute have developed programs like and the to continue research on snowpack and its implications on the Tahoe watershed. 

Microplastics at Lake Tahoe

How do microplastics affect one of the clearest lakes in the world? Join researchers Katie Senft, Carina Seitz and Consuelo Del Rio aboard the Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe’s research vessel as they investigate how plastic pollution enters and spreads throughout Lake Tahoe. Learn how researchers collect and analyze water samples at various depths to uncover the hidden impact of microplastics on water quality and lake ecosystems.

Read about microplastics research at Lake Tahoe

Plastics at Lake Tahoe

Through collaborations with the University of Milano, Biccoca and others within the Global Lakes Observatory Network, University researchers published the first peer-reviewed scientific publication showing that the concentration of plastics in Lake Tahoe is one of the highest on the globe. Together with their colleagues from the Desert Research Institute, University researchers continue to evaluate the distribution of plastics within the water column and conduct studies that examine the impact of plastics to Lake Tahoe’s nearshore water quality.

As part of the efforts to quantify and understand the impacts of plastic waste on Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Institute researchers have been engaging with colleagues from the Desert Research Institute to develop a science-guided plan for understanding plastics in Lake Tahoe for the Tahoe Science Advisory Council.

AT&T cable

In the last decade, divers found the abandoned telecommunication cables in the bottom of Lake Tahoe. At the request of the California Sport Fishing Alliance, researchers from the Â鶹´«Ã½AV developed quantitative methods and analysis for measuring the impacts on Lake Tahoe’s water quality from the abandoned cables. Researchers found that bacteria and algae growing on the cable have lead concentrations 67,000 times higher than a sample from a nearby rock.  This information along with the efforts from the , Beyond the Blue, and the led to the partial removal of cables in 2024.

Invasive and lost species

Invasive species continue to establish in the lake and region, impacting lake water quality and native biodiversity. University researchers have organized workshops through the Tahoe Science Advisory Council to address the New Zealand Mudsnail invasion and have been working with agencies and tribes to understand the potential establishment and impact of the Golden Mussel, which was introduced to the region in 2025. The Institute has also supported the creation of the , a peer-reviewed record of the ongoing mass extinction events. The goal of the journal is to advance scientific understanding of extinction, support the development of methods for biodiversity documentation, and facilitate the rediscovery of lost species.

Human health monitoring

Visitors and locals alike love spending time on the beaches, swimming, and boating along the lake’s nearshore. Many of the houses and cities along the lake receive their drinking water from the lake. With support from the agencies, Tahoe Institute researchers monitor the nearshore of the lake for harmful bacteria and water quality conditions. Recently the monitoring has led to the discovery of sewage pipes along Camp Richardson and Timber Cove. The connection between science, monitoring and rehabilitation of infrastructure could not be more evident and University researchers are delighted to assist in the monitoring of the lake to keep people healthy.

Sustainable recreation

Lake Tahoe, known for its crystal-clear waters, stunning vistas and granite sand beaches, is a global travel destination with a local travel problem. Each year, visitors spend around 15 million collective days recreating in the Lake Tahoe Basin and nearly 56,000 residents regularly travel Lake Tahoe’s roads to and from work and play. Increasing car traffic around the lake impacts everything from air and water quality to wildlife habitats as well as increases in traffic congestion, road safety and travel times for all road users. Now, local agencies and researchers are working on finding solutions that promote sustainable recreation, including the development of better bike paths.

Learn about sustainable recreation

Summer arts workshops at Lake Tahoe

The Tahoe Institute for Global Sustainability is part of a continuing effort that focuses on community engagement across the sciences, engineering, art, humanities, and journalism while promoting discourse, critical thinking, and collaboration across interested parties to solve society's pressing challenges, including through Summer Arts Workshops at Lake Tahoe. This place-based learning opportunity provides an unmatched experience where participants will leave having expanded their creative skillset while in a stunning natural setting. 

Summer Arts Workshops

Place-based learning at Lake Tahoe

The University boasts multiple locations for place-based learning at the lake, from youth education to higher education, and to experiences for anyone who wishes to continue their persuit of knowledge in a beautiful location. 

Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe

Located less than one mile from the shoreline of Lake Tahoe, the Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe’s Wayne L. Prim Campus merges experiences across education, research, creative and scholarly work in a stunning mountain environment. With the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe as inspiration, we invite students and faculty, researchers and scholars, artists and leaders to our campus for cutting-edge collaborations and interdisciplinary activities. Join us in the mountains where art, science and the environment meet.

Youth education at Lake Tahoe

The Â鶹´«Ã½AV offers programming around the lake that introduces STEM and environmental stewardship curriculum to local students. Between and an exhibit on Monster Fish at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe, the University hopes to inspire the next generation of leaders in sustainability and science.

Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants takes visitors and students on an expedition around the world to learn about monster fish and their habitats. They will meet and follow the adventures of Zeb Hogan, Ph.D., a National Geographic Explorer, host of Nat Geo WILD’s Monster Fish show, photographer and Â鶹´«Ã½AV biologist and researcher, as he travels to six continents to find, study and protect the world’s largest freshwater fish.The exhibit, currently featured at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV at Lake Tahoe in the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, introduces students to the science behind this work and will be the basis for a fun and effective learning experience. The exhibition features amazing, life-size sculptures of monster fish, hands-on interactive exhibits and video installations that puts students, teachers, and visitors face-to-face with more than 20 species of monster fish.