High-frequency, hourly, and daily measurements from the Lake Fryxell "Blue Box" (LFBB), McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (1997-2024, ongoing)

As part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research program, continuous measurements have been collected from a network of automated lake monitoring platforms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. These lake-based stations, commonly referred to as “blue boxes” due to their historically blue instrument enclosures, provide high-frequency observations of key limnological variables essential for understanding physical drivers of aquatic ecosystem dynamics in the perennially ice-covered, meromictic lakes of this polar desert environment. This data package includes measurements from the Lake Fryxell “blue box” lake monitoring platform (LFBB), established during the 1996-1997 austral summer in Lake Fryxell, Taylor Valley. Parameters include air and water temperature, surface and underwater photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), continuous stage (lake level), ice surface ablation, and, beginning in the 2022-2023 austral summer, dissolved oxygen (DO), reported as percent saturation due to the unavailability of continuous salinity measurements required for computing concentration. Data are provided at high frequency (typically 15-minute intervals), along with hourly and daily summaries. Users should note that summary statistics may be affected by periods of missing data. As there is no universally accepted standard for handling gaps in time-series data, users are encouraged to use the high-frequency data and establish their own criteria for acceptable data completeness to minimize potential bias.