Abiotic Factors:
The abiotic factors of an environment are the non-living things that have a significant effect on the interactions of the ecosystems within. In Crater Lake, there are several important abiotic factors.
- Precipitation: Snowfall is almost completely responsible for supplying the lake with its water. Annually, the lake gets around 530 inches of snowfall. There are no tributaries or streams feeding the lake(CLI). This limits the lake's sediment and organic matter intake and allows it to remain extraordinarily clear. The lack of floating sediment allows light to penetrate the water over 400 ft down. This gives Crater Lake the unique ability to have moss grow over 400 ft below the surface.(CLI)
- Outside Temperature: The large surface area of Crater Lake absorbs lots of energy from the sun in the form of heat. Crater lake is known for staying unfrozen despite the snowy winters.(FaF) This can be accredited to the coastal weather systems bringing in lots of rain and snow, but not actually getting the temperature low enough to bring the water temperature down below freezing. (NPS)
- Geothermal Heat: The temperature towards the bottom of the lake stays around 38° F year round. This is regulated by the geothermal heat coming from underneath the caldera. There are multiple hydrothermal vents scattered across the bottom of the deep lake. Each of which has its own small biotic community.(ST)
Biotic Factors:
Biotic factors are living organisms that shape an environment and ecosystem.
- Drepanocladus Moss: This moss grows in massive colonies all the way down to 460 ft below the surface.(NG) It is the only known moss that can grow at that depth. The moss layers are anywhere from 3 to 6 ft thick, and the oldest layers are thought to be thousands of years old. Depending on how soon the moss colonies started growing after the formation of Crater Lake, they could be the world's oldest living things on the planet.