The Emerald Lake Watershed Study: Introduction and site description

The Emerald Lake Watershed study was organized to investigate the effects of acidic deposition on high‐elevation watersheds and surface waters of the Sierra Nevada, California. Some of the results of this comprehensive study of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at a small, headwater basin are presented in four papers in this series. The watershed study site is in Sequoia National Park, on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. This glacial cirque is located in the upper Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. This 120‐ha watershed ranges from Alta Peak (3416 m) down to Emerald Lake (2400 m). Most of the watershed surface area is exposed granite and granodiorite rocks, with limited coverage (about 20%) by thin, acidic soils. The hydrology of the basin is dominated by snowmelt runoff during March–June. Emerald Lake, a glacial tarn, is 2.72 ha in area, with a maximum depth of 10.5 m. Surface waters are poorly buffered and dominated by calcium and bicarbonate. Most of the yearly precipitation falls as dilute snow (pH 5.2–5.4), with acidic rain storms sampled during May–October.