Lake Waiau
| Lake Waiau | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Lake Waiau, May 2005 | ||
| Geographical location | Hawaii Island | |
| Drain | Overflow to the Pohakuloa Gorge | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 19 ° 48 '40 .5 " N , 155 ° 28' 38.5" W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 3970 m | |
| surface | 0.6 ha | |
| width | 100 m | |
| Maximum depth | 2.5 m | |
| Catchment area | 13.5 ha | |
The Lake Waiau is a small alpine lake, located below the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii located. After the Green Lake evaporated in a lava flow from the Kīlauea eruption in May 2018, it is the only remaining freshwater lake on the island.
Lake Waiau is located at an altitude of 3970 meters within the Pu'u Waiau crater. Its shape is almost heart-shaped and it has a maximum diameter of about 100 meters with a maximum water depth of 2 to 2.5 meters. The lake is fed exclusively by precipitation or meltwater and has a catchment area of 135,000 m². The water level of Lake Waiau fluctuates during the course of the year with a maximum water level at the end of the snowmelt, which then decreases during the course of the year and is often below one meter in August. From a water depth of 2.3 meters, the lake has a drain on its west side that pours into the Pohakuloa Gorge. The average surface of the lake is around 6000 m², with the surface at the end of summer mostly only a third of the surface at the end of winter.
The bottom of Lake Waiaus is a specialty in the summit area, as this otherwise only has water-permeable soil layers and the water simply seeps away in other places. One reason for the impermeable bottom layer at the point of the lake is the existence of permafrost, which so far has only been proven at another point in the summit area. What is certain, however, is that there is a sediment layer at least 7.5 meters thick at the bottom of the lake.
From 2010 to 2013 Lake Waiau shrank massively and in autumn 2013 its surface was only 2% of the normal area. The exact reason for the water loss is currently unknown. The thawing of the suspected permafrost and the resulting loss of a water-impermeable soil layer is discussed as a possible reason. After a particularly wet winter in 2013/2014, the lake again took up around 75% of its original water surface in spring 2014 and subsequently its full original size. It is therefore now assumed that the decline since 2010 was probably only caused by a four-year, relatively low-precipitation dry period in the summit area of Mauna Kea.
Lake Waiau also plays a role in native Hawaiian mythology. In addition to Poliʻahu , two other snow goddesses , Lilinoe and Waiau , are associated with Mauna Kea. According to a presumption by Westervelt, the lake is named after the goddess of the same name because she used it as a bathing place. The summit area of Mauna Kea, including the lake, was a sacred site and originally only accessible to priests and chiefs. Later, members of the royal family made occasional trips to the summit area, with Queen Emma being the final member to visit the summit in 1881, including a swim in Lake Waiau.
Lake Waiau, view from the summit, May 2005
Lake Waiau, outflow, May 2005
Lake Waiau, July 2006
Lake Waiau - decline October 2012
literature
- Jane Ellen Massey: Lake Waiau: A Study of a Tropical Alpine Lake, Past and Present . University of Hawaii Press, 1978
- Alfred H. Woodcock, Meyer Rubin, RA Duce: Deep Layer of Sediments in Alpine Lake in the Tropical Mid-Pacific . Science, New Series, Vol. 154, No. 3749 (Nov. 4, 1966), pp. 647-648 ( JSTOR 1719061 )
Web links
- Impermeable beds trap rain and snow at Mauna Kea's Lake Waiau . Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, June 19, 2003
- Volcano Watch: Lake Waiau is almost shrinking in Hawaii 24/7
- Lake Waiau, Hawaii, USA on lakelubbers.com
- Mauna Kea - The Hike To Lake Waiau on instanthawaii.com
- Lake Waiau
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Ehlmann, Bethany L .; Raymond Arvidson ,; Bradley Jolliff ,; Sarah Johnson ,; Brian Ebel ,; Nicole Lovenduski ,; Julie Morris ,; Jeffery Byers ,; Nathan Snider ,; Robert Criss ,. Hydrologic and isotopic modeling of alpine Lake Waiau, Mauna Kea, Hawai'i. (1). Pacific Science. 2005. HighBeam Research. (February 16, 2014). - ( Memento of the original from June 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Lake Waiau in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
- ^ Alan C. Ziegler: Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution . University of Hawaii Press, 2002, ISBN 0824821904 , p. 94 ( excerpt (Google) )
- ^ Disappearing Lake Waiau Is a Mystery to Scientists. Honolulu Star Advertiser. 2013. Questia. (February 16, 2014). https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3122526991
- ↑ Erin Miller: On the rise: Lake Waiau benefits from wetter weather ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Hawaii Tribune Herald, May 30, 2014
- ↑ Chelsea Jensen: Lake Waiau atop Mauna Kea nearly full or full since fall 2014 ( Memento of the original from March 29, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Eest Hawaii Today, March 22, 2017
- ↑ Hawaiian Culture & Mauna Kea ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station website (accessed February 22, 2014)
- ^ H. Arlo Nimmo: Pele, Volcano Goddess of Hawai'i: A History . McFarland, 2011, ISBN 9780786463473 , p. 28 ( excerpt (Google) )
