Alkali Lake is a geographic sink located in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It lies within the Alkali Subbasin of the Summer Lake Basin watershed in southeastern Oregon.[1] The lake is situated 26 miles east of Christmas Valley, Oregon, northeast of Lake Abert,[2] and directly west of Abert Rim and Highway 395.
| Alkali Lake | |
|---|---|
 Alkali Lake dry lakebed and surrounding desert | |
  Alkali Lake | |
| Location | Lake County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 42°58′38″N 120°01′41″W / 42.97722°N 120.02806°W |
| Lake type | seasonal, alkali |
| Basin countries | United States |
Surface elevation | 4,332 ft (1,320 m) |
Alkali Lake is believed to have reached a prehistoric maximum depth of 270.7 feet (82.5 meters) and covered about 1,448.4 square miles (3,751 square kilometers). Since then, its water level has fluctuated, with a general trend towards drying.[1] Notable features include dissolved alkaline salts averaging 10% of total brine weight in its seasonal waters[2] and a nearby chemical disaster, Alkali Lake Chemical Waste Dump.
Plants
editPlants known to occur in the dunes immediately north of the lake include:[3]
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alkali Lake has a steppe climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Alkali Lake (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
72 (22) |
78 (26) |
88 (31) |
97 (36) |
100 (38) |
108 (42) |
105 (41) |
101 (38) |
90 (32) |
75 (24) |
69 (21) |
108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.9 (6.1) |
45.4 (7.4) |
51.6 (10.9) |
58.3 (14.6) |
66.8 (19.3) |
75.8 (24.3) |
88.1 (31.2) |
86.8 (30.4) |
77.1 (25.1) |
63.3 (17.4) |
49.7 (9.8) |
41.3 (5.2) |
62.3 (16.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.5 (−0.3) |
33.1 (0.6) |
38.2 (3.4) |
42.8 (6.0) |
51.4 (10.8) |
58.3 (14.6) |
67.8 (19.9) |
66.8 (19.3) |
57.7 (14.3) |
46.1 (7.8) |
36.2 (2.3) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.0 (−6.7) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
36.1 (2.3) |
40.9 (4.9) |
47.5 (8.6) |
46.8 (8.2) |
38.3 (3.5) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−26 (−32) |
−11 (−24) |
6 (−14) |
4 (−16) |
23 (−5) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
14 (−10) |
−2 (−19) |
−22 (−30) |
−33 (−36) |
−38 (−39) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.25 (32) |
1.00 (25) |
1.06 (27) |
1.13 (29) |
1.57 (40) |
0.97 (25) |
0.41 (10) |
0.35 (8.9) |
0.50 (13) |
0.93 (24) |
0.85 (22) |
1.27 (32) |
11.29 (287) |
| Source: NOAA[4][5] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 US Fish & Wildlife Service website
- 1 2 McArthur, p. 10
- ↑ "Alkali Lake: 6/24/2003".
- ↑ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
Works cited
edit- McArthur, Lewis A. Oregon Geographic Names, Fourth ed. 1974. Edwards Brothers. Ann Arbor, MI
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Field Office
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