Three decades of limnological data from lakes in the Pocono Mountains region, Pennsylvania USA, 1988-2018

Three decades of limnological data have been collected from Lakes
Lacawac, Giles, and Waynewood, located in the Pocono Mountains region
of Pennsylvania, USA as a part of this ongoing data set. Giles is a
clear-water, low dissolved organic matter oligotrophic lake in a
largely protected watershed, Lacawac has higher dissolved organic
matter concentrations and is a dystrophic brown-water system in a
highly protected watershed within the Lacawac Sanctuary and Biological
Field Station, and Waynewood is a more productive, eutrophic lake,
with a larger watershed that is in mixed agricultural, forested, and
residential use. One unique aspect of these data is that they comprise
one of the largest and most complete data sets with measurements of
underwater UV transparency available in the world. The data include a
suite of 45 variables including physical, optical, and chemical
characteristics of the lakes, with a focus on the optical
characteristics. Data were collected on many of these variables at
least once annually during the summer, often with much more frequent
samples during the ice-free season, and for several years in the early
1990s through the winter months. The following three files contain
this data set, with the main data contained in PoconosLakeData.csv.
SiteInformation.csv and Methods.csv support the main data file, with
descriptions of the sampling sites and methods by which samples were
processed, respectively. Also included are summary reports that
provide an overview and characterize the three core PCLP (Pocono
Comparative Lakes Program) lakes from1989-1993. The user is referred
in particular to the 1995 summary report on all three lakes as a
useful introduction to the three lakes. These files can be accessed
through links provided under Journal Citations. These reports provide
an overview of the lakes and detailed methodology. The 1995 summary
report "Limnology of Lakes Lacawac, Giles, and Waynewood 1989-93:
An Introduction to the Core Lakes of the Pocono Comparative Lakes
Program" provides a comprehensive overview of lake and watershed
characteristics, as well as physical, chemical, and biological (fish,
zooplankton, and phytoplankton) conditions. Detailed sampling and
analytical methodology, and an overview of fish populations in the
three lakes are also available, as well as annual reports for each
lake.