Clear Lake, located in Lake County, CA, has long suffered from environmental issues associated with mercury contamination, and harmful algal blooms (HABs). These conditions threaten aquatic life and the community’s cultural, recreational, and economic activities.

Understanding the transport and horizontal water exchanges occurring in water bodies is essential to predict biogeochemical changes in aquatic ecosystems. Most of our knowledge of water exchanges comes from lakes with simple bathymetries. However, many lakes worldwide have complicated morphometry, such as multi-basin lakes. Previous work on multi-basin lakes focused on processes such as baroclinic oscillations (wind-driven oscillations of the thermocline) or Ekman transport (interaction of wind, Coriolis, and drag forces) in large lakes.

In response to Covid-19, UC Davis and TERC have updated health and safety protocols to ensure research is conducted in a safe and responsible manner. Researchers follow all CDC and state public health guidelines while collecting monitoring data at Clear Lake. This includes wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and regularly sanitizing surfaces while in the field.