Alkali Lake (Oregon)

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
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

Plants known to occur in the dunes immediately north of the lake include:^[3]

• Buckwheat Family
  • Broom Buckwheat
• Goosefoot Family
  • Spiny Hopsage
• Mustard Family
  • Stanleya or Guillenia sp.
• Evening-primrose family
  • Desert Evening-primrose
• Parsley Family
  • Rhysopterus plurijugus
• Phlox Family
  • Great Basin Gilia
• Borage Family
  • Matted Cryptantha
• Sunflower Family
  • Desert Pincushion
  • Gray Rabbitbrush
  • Showy Townsend Daisy

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alkali Lake has a steppe climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Climate data for Alkali Lake
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	63 (17)	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)	42.2 (5.7)	46.1 (7.8)	51.2 (10.7)	59.1 (15.1)	69.1 (20.6)	77.9 (25.5)	87.7 (30.9)	86.4 (30.2)	78.1 (25.6)	65.8 (18.8)	49.9 (9.9)	41.9 (5.5)	63 (17)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	19.2 (−7.1)	22.5 (−5.3)	25.1 (−3.8)	28.7 (−1.8)	35 (2)	42.2 (5.7)	46.8 (8.2)	45.5 (7.5)	37.1 (2.8)	29.6 (−1.3)	24.4 (−4.2)	18.8 (−7.3)	31.2 (−0.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−38 (−39)	−26 (−32)	−11 (−24)	6 (−14)	4 (−16)	23 (−5)	30 (−1)	26 (−3)	14 (−10)	−2 (−19)	−10 (−23)	−33 (−36)	−38 (−39)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.61 (15)	0.54 (14)	0.77 (20)	0.84 (21)	1.22 (31)	1 (25)	0.48 (12)	0.64 (16)	0.48 (12)	0.69 (18)	0.73 (19)	0.66 (17)	8.65 (220)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	2.9 (7.4)	1.8 (4.6)	1.8 (4.6)	1.4 (3.6)	0.5 (1.3)	0.1 (0.25)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.51)	2 (5.1)	3.8 (9.7)	14.4 (37)
Average precipitation days	5	5	7	6	6	5	2	3	3	4	6	6	58
Source: [4]

See also

• Alkali Lake State Airport