MCM LTER Data Overview

Through this website, the McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER (MCM) Information Management System provides the most comprehensive scientific database for the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. We manage and curate all MCM-funded data, including data generated by other federally funded research projects that leverage MCM resources, adhering to data standards and access policies outlined by the US LTER Network, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP), and the US Antarctic Program (USAP).

All of our datasets are documented with rich human and machine-readable metadata, made freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), and archived in a timely manner in the Environmental Data Initiative repository (EDI), enabling discovery through DataONE. To ensure our data are discoverable through the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD) and fulfill data sharing obligations under the Antarctic Treaty, metadata records associated with MCM grants are registered with the US Antarctic Program Data Center (USAP-DC) with data links pointing to the MCM Data Catalog (hosted by this website) and to the master inventory of MCM datasets in EDI.

MCM data are discoverable through this website via the MCM Data Catalog, which provides a highly curated, fully searchable, and centralized online database through which visitors can easily access all of our data. Datasets are broadly organized within MCM research areas (e.g., meteorology, glaciers, streams, lakes, soils, integrative processes), relevant subcategories (e.g., biology, chemistry, locations), and core data status. Core datasets are associated with long-term, ongoing monitoring projects or experiments, while non-core datasets reflect opportunistic and other shorter-term studies, including student-led research. Faceted search tools enable further discovery by keywords (e.g., subject, personnel, location) and LTER core research areas (i.e., disturbance patterns, inorganic nutrients, organic matter, primary production, and population studies). Interactive dashboards of provisional near real-time data are also provided. To improve discoverability of our data and meet funder requirements, MCM data can also be found in several other online portals, including data repositories (e.g., EDI, USAP-DC) and repository aggregator services (e.g., DataONE, AMD), as described above.

Additional links:

  • Data Use Policy - We love it when people reuse our data, but please be mindful of our data use policy and cite our datasets accordingly. 
  • Submitting Data - Got data? Ready to share it with the world? Learn how here.
  • Report Data Issues - Have you found issue(s) with MCM LTER data and/or metadata? Help us improve our data offerings by filling out this form!
  • NSF OPP Repository & Resource Page - Learn more about NSF OPP's policies regarding data and metadata archival in appropriate repositories.
  • Contact Us - Do you have data questions, concerns, and/or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you.