Ion concentrations in glacial meltwater streams, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (1993-2020, ongoing)

Summary

Abstract:

As part of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, a systematic aqueous geochemical sampling program has been undertaken. A series of terrestrial water samples have been collected and analyzed for major ion chemistry by ion chromatography. The concentrations of ions cover a wide range of total dissolved solids from the stream waters. This dataset shows concentrations of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, chlorine, bromine, silicon, fluorine, sulfate, and hydrogen ions found in various streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Date Range:

December 2, 1993 to January 30, 2020

Data Citation

Gooseff, M.N., Lyons, W. 2022. Ion concentrations in glacial meltwater streams, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (1993-2020, ongoing). Environmental Data Initiative. DOI: 10.6073/pasta/275ee580f3c93f077dd7ddcce1f2ecdd. Dataset accessed 27 April 2024.

Dataset(s)

Description:

Ions

Variables (click to expand):

DATASET_CODE

Label: Dataset code
Definition: Code representing stream chemistry / ion concentrations dataset
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

strmgageid

Label:
Definition: Code representing stream gauge station
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Location

Label:
Definition: Name of stream gauge station
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Sample Name

Label:
Definition: Original name for sample when gathered in field, submitted to INSTAAR
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

DATE_TIME

Label:
Definition: Date/time of sample (McMurdo time)
Type: Date/time
Date format: MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI
Missing values: None specified

Li (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: lithium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Li (mM)

Label:
Definition: lithium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Li comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to lithium measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Na (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: sodium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 100000
Minimum: 0
Precision: 1
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Na (mM)

Label:
Definition: sodium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5000
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.01
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Na comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to sodium measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

K (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: potassium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

K (mM)

Label:
Definition: potassium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

K comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to potassium measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Mg (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: magnesium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Mg (mM)

Label:
Definition: magnesium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Mg comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to magnesium measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Ca (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: calcium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Ca (mM)

Label:
Definition: calcium concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Ca comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to calcium measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

F (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: fluorine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

F (mM)

Label:
Definition: fluorine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

F comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to fluorine measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Cl (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: chlorine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Cl (mM)

Label:
Definition: chlorine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Cl comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to chlorine measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Br (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: bromine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Br (mM)

Label:
Definition: bromine concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Br comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to bromine measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

SO4 (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: sulfate concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

SO4 (mM)

Label:
Definition: sulfate concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

SO4 comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to sulfate measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Alkalinity (meq/L)

Label:
Definition: alkalinity measured by titration in lab
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milliEquivalents
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

alk comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to alkalinity measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Si (mg/L)

Label:
Definition: silicon concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: milligramsPerLiter
Maximum: 50
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Si (mM)

Label:
Definition: silicon concentration
Type: Physical quantity
Unit: millimoles/liter
Maximum: 5
Minimum: 0
Precision: 0.0001
Missing values:
- Null = None given

Si comments

Label:
Definition: Comments pertaining to silicon measurement
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

Sample Comments

Label:
Definition: Sample Comments
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

File Name

Label:
Definition: Raw data file containing information
Type: Nominal
Missing values: None specified

File:

mcmlter-strm-ions-20220201.csv (870.87 KB)

Short name:

STREAM_IONS

Dataset ID:

People

Principal Investigator(s):

Michael N. Gooseff

W. Berry Lyons

Contact:

McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER Information Manager

Associated Personnel:

Lab Technician

Data Manager

Former Data Manager

Methodology

Methods:

A Dionex DX-300 ion chromatographic system was used for the major ion analyses. Please see the following citation for complete methods: Welch, K.A., Lyons, W.B., Graham, E., Neumann, K., Thomas, J.M., and D. Mikesell. 1996. Determination of major element chemistry in terrestrial waters from Antarctica by ion chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A 739: 257-263.

Instrumentation:

Dionex DX-300 ion chromatographic system

Maintenance:

Metadata improved in 2016, San Gil.

The original iterations of the 'strmchem' file (stream chemistry data) were created by Kathy Welch, and submitted to Denise Steigerwald (the data manager) at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR). These files are currently located on the PC in the data manager's office at INSTAAR. Following discussions between Kathy Welch and Denise Steigerwald, it was decided to remove some fields (eg., dilution factor), and add others (eg. strmgageid, collection date, comments for each type of measurement) to these files in order to make them more consistent and relational for future references. Following these revisions, they were imported into Microsoft Access and saved in a table named "Stream Chemistry / Ion Concentrations". This table was exported as an ascii, text, comma delimited file (strmchem.dat) and as an MS-DOS text, table layout file (strmchem.txt), to present on the MCM LTER web site. Both of these files are linked to this web page above.

Research Section:

LTER Core Areas:

inorganic nutrients

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