LEVEL MEASUREMENT LOCATIONS

Acceptance and utilization of LTER data requires that:

• the Principal Investigator be sent a notice stating reasons for acquiring any data and a description of the publication intentions.
• The Principal Investigator of the data set be sent a copy of the report or manuscript prior to submission and be adequately cited in any resultant publications.
• A copy of any resultant publications should be sent to the McMurdo data manager at:
  as well as the Principal Investigator. For a list of MCM LTER Principal Investigators.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Peter Doran
Address:University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
845 W. Taylor Street
Chicago IL, 60607-7059
Phone:(312)413-7275
E-Mail:pdoran@uic.edu

OTHERS: Not Applicable

KEYWORDS: lake, level, limnology, location, date

ABSTRACT:

VARIABLES: lake, location, station code, latitude, longitude, elevation (m), description, file name

RESEARCH LOCATION:

METHODS:

TIMING:

CITATIONS:

COMMENTS:

Description of Lake Level measurements in LTER data base for Taylor Valley:
Lake leveling has been achieved by optical surveys made whenever possible. At least the first data point in each file was made by Trevor Chinn's group as one of their last surveys in the valleys. We have made an attempt to reference all of our observations to the historical (and published) record from the dry valleys. That means that while the values in meters above sea level are correct with respect to the old KIWI data, they will not match differential GPS measurements made without correcting to the KIWI datum.
During MCM-I we established new lake leveling benchmarks at the three main Taylor Valley camps for ease of measurement. Each of these new benchmarks has been measured using differential GPS to a high degree of accuracy. To put lake levels in the context of the historical data, a similar GPS survey was carried out on old Kiwi benchmarks that have been used for leveling in the past, and an offset applied to the data collected from the new benchmarks.
In each data file there are 5 columns of data:
1. Date
2. Reference Benchmark: This is the old benchmark used for lake leveling that the new measurements are corrected to.
3. Survey Benchmark: This is the benchmark the optical survey was actually performed on. The lake level below this datum is recorded with level and stadia rod.
4. Lake Level (masl): Lake level below datum is expressed as meters above sea level (masl) in terms of the reference benchmark.
5. Comments: usually lists the surveyors. All measurements are made to true water level in drilled holes or in a connected moat. Some are shot to the surface of the moat ice and if so, that is noted here (rare).