Waiau: the Lake of Hawaii that is disappearing mysteriously
Since 2010, the Lake Waiau-the only Alpine Lake of Hawaii and the third highest of the United States â€" decreased from about 6,000 square meters to 115 square meters. Three years ago, the depth of the Waiau was 2.74 metres and currently is less than 38 inches.In addition to being the only Lake in the State of Hawaii, the Waiau has a great meaning in Hawaiian culture. According to the local beliefs, the Waiau contains pure waters that are associated with the Hawaiian god Kane and that were used for traditional healing and rituals of worship.The Ranger Department of Mauna Kea, the highest mountain of Hawaii, and Volcanological of Hawaii have been monitoring changes on the surface of the Lake since 2010. However, officials and scientists haven't been able to figure out the causes for such changes.One of the reasons detailed by scientists can be the drought that Hawaii has been experimenting since 2008. According to the reports of the meteorological station of Mauna Kea, there was little precipitation during several consecutive months of 2010. "[It] may have been the factor that triggered the decrease in the level of the water, which was sustained by low rainfall in subsequent years," indicating another report of Volcanological, referred to the Huffington Post.Another factor that scientists are considering is that Lake Waiau be a deposit Lake, where the water is retained in a depression on the surface through waterproof substrates. "These substrates consist of layers of silty clay, interspersed with layers of ashes and it is possible that there is a permafrost (soil type that is zero degrees Celsius or less, for two years or more) behind the Alpine Lake", points out the report.These are some of the possibilities that scientists point to the changes that have taken place in the side, but none as yet has been given for granted. Since it was revealed that the surface of the Waiau is decreasing, the number of tourists who want to visit the Lake has increased.
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