SEPTEMBER 2003 – Trees that have died from higher than normal concentrations of CO2 stand near the Horseshoe Lake within the Inyo National Forest, California, USA. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
We strongly recommend to visit the village of Mammoth Lakes. It is beautiful, and the surrounding nature is simply breathtaking! If you drive Lake Mary Road to the Mammoth Lakes to the very end, you will reach yet another lake. Nice. But whazzat? The trees are all dead around the lake, about 120 acres?!
This is caused by a high CO2 concentration at Horseshoe Lake that reaches levels that can kill trees and pose a suffocation risk to humans. While normal atmospheric CO2 is around 360 parts per million (ppm), concentrations in the tree-kill zones can exceed 100,000 ppm in the soil and tens of thousands of ppm in the air near the ground. Heavier-than-air CO2 collects in depressions, making the areas near Horseshoe Lake dangerous, especially in tents or snow caves.
I deliberately left the black border (caused by the slide frame) “as is” because I felt it is a good match for the topic. And I think the image is awesome: The blue sky, the dead trees, the bright soil – a deadly beauty.
Disclaimer: Google AI contributed to this story.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 23-SEP-2003 |
| Location | Horseshoe Lake, Inyo National Forest, CA |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6896 x 4656 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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