A new State of the Lake report expressed concern over Lake Tahoe of California warming very rapidly. According to its claims, increasing temperature of the lake at rate about 15 times its historic average would threaten clarity of lake by bringing changes to its ecology. This probably is a concerning news for those who use the lake for recreational purpose.

Not only to those looking at lake as recreational source could be feel affected by this rising temperature, but all those who are concerned about climate change globally. Moreover, changing temperature would threaten ecology, in other words the beauty of natural sources present in the lake. The natural ecosystem of the Lake Tahoe is an indicator for other systems both in the western U.S. and around the world.

First documented record of Lake Tahoe’s water temperature is from 1970, when the temperature was averaged 50.3 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. The more recent record for 2015 revealed that the temperature had soared to average 53.3 degrees. The increase may be seen as insignificant, but this difference in temperature has mostly arrived over past decade and a half that has concerned scientists most.

Scientists link this increasing water temperature to changing air temperatures. Other concerning factor is falling water clarity. Process of water mixing is responsible for maintaining clarity of water. As the lake was unable to carry out the process to its full potential due to warmer inflow of water, water clarity fell to 73.1 feet last year.

“The occurrence of rising air temperatures at Lake Tahoe has been known about for many years now, and with it the warming of the lake. What is different this year is that we are seeing more aspects of the lake’s internal physics changing,” said Geoffrey Schladow, of Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) at the University of California Davis.

According to a report in Science World Report by Elaine Hannah, "Geoffrey Schladow from the Tahoe Environmental Research center (TERC) at the University of California Davis explained that the occurrence of rising air temperatures at Lake Tahoe has been known about for many years now and with it the warming of the lake."

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center stated that the continued warm and dry conditions contributed to several record-breaking measurements at Lake Tahoe in 2015. This raised concern about the ecological impacts of climate change on the second-deepest lake in the United States.

The study reveals that the temperature in 2015 warmed nearly one-half of a degree from the previous year to a record 53.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Its temperature increased over 0.3 F per year. This is about 15 times faster than the long-term average rate of 0.018 per year, according to SF Gate.

A report published in "name of publication" revealed, "Lake Tahoe is warming rapidly – at about 15 times its historic average, according to a new State of the Lake report, a speed that threatens the lake’s famous clarity by changing many aspects of the lake’s ecology."

“While Lake Tahoe is unique, the forces and processes that shape it are the same as those acting in most natural ecosystems,” wrote TERC in the report. “As such, Lake Tahoe is an indicator for other systems both in the western U.S. and worldwide.”

Water “mixing” is not the only the factor that can contribute to the lake’s clarity. Fertilizer use in nearby areas and runoff can also muddy the waters. Efforts over the past couple decades to reduce fertilizer use (the nitrogen and phosphorus in many fertilizers can lead to algae growth) and better capture water runoff from storms have improved lake clarity from its lowest point in 1997.